Tag: sam registration

Cecil Whitlock: Did You Know that You Can PURCHASE an 8a Company?

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Did you know that you can purchase an 8a company? Let’s answer this question together with Cecil Whitlock!

BUYING AN 8A COMPANY

Cecil Whitlock started his career in the federal market by working with different large companies.

He was then hired at the J2 Engineering, Inc. when the company is close to graduating in the 8a program because the company already outgrows the necessary numbers that small businesses can leverage. 

Then, at some point, he bought the company when the owner approached him about buying it because he chose to go back to law school. 

As the new owner, he still needed to make sure that the company continued working even after the program, so he went and bid on some MATOC and SATOC contracts on top of the sole source contracts that the company was already working on. 

Whitlock highly recommends these to 8a companies as these contracts last for over five years and even if you graduate from the 8a program, you can still keep these contracts and continue bidding on it. 

“I suggest that, you know, everybody, especially 8as, learn how to bid these contracts… and once you learn how to do them and get involved into them, you see that it’s a great thing.”

Apart from that, the company also leveraged the partnerships that they have with some of the largest corporations, including AECOM.

They continued bidding and winning on different million dollar worth of contracts until they had tapped out on their bonding and Whitlock decided to sell the company to a much larger firm in 2015. 

WORKING FOR THE MIAMI NATIONS

After selling the company and retiring, Whitlock decided to work again and in this instance, as the Managing Director of the 8a tribally-owned company, Miami Nations Enterprises. 

When he came in, Miami Nations wasn’t even formed yet, so there are things that they should do in order to keep the business afloat. 

In this case, Whitlock brought not just sole source work, but also IDIQ contracts because he knew that going after sole source contracts is not enough to sustain the whole company. 

“You need these IDIQ contracts. I think those are the easiest way to grow and it limits your competition.”

Currently, the company is involved in a handful of million dollar contracts with different teaming partners in order to get more past performance bonding for the company. 

ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

1. Offer value. 

Consider that Miami Nations has a handful of teaming partners and these companies offer value in the contracts that they’re going after. 

Not because you’re an 8a or a tribally-owned company, someone will already give you a contract opportunity. This market doesn’t work that way. 

So, what are you bringing to the table? 

“I don’t give people business. I team and we work together on getting business or I’m out there getting business myself.”

2. Team with other companies.

Aside from being able to go after million dollar worth of contracts with a teaming partner, this could also help you in getting your past performance. 

Consider that when you team with someone, even if you only provided twenty thousand worth of work and the whole work is worth a million, you can still say that you did a million dollar job and you can also use that in your future projects. 

“I can’t stress how much past performance does for you. If you’re out there and you don’t have any past performance, if you team with somebody, you get that past performance for that… So, that’s pretty nice.”

3. Take advantage of the SBA. 

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a helpful organization, but you need to use their services to your advantage. 

You should not just wait for them to do the work because if you think that the SBA is just going to give you a sole source project, you’re going to be sitting at home with no money on hand. 

Rather, you should prepare everything needed for them to do their job. 

“I like all the SBA people that I work with. They do a very good job, but you’ve got to help direct them to do the job for you.”

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more on how Cecil Whitlock bought an 8a company, then be sure to click the resources below.

You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

Did you know that you can PURCHASE an 8a company? with Cecil and Eric

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZgQ1o3t_f0&t=343s

SOURCES SOUGHT: Lease of Office Space within Region 04. Request for Lease Proposals (RLP) #21-REG04_9FL2397 – OFFICE SPACE

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Offerors are advised that all Shell work associated with delivering the Tenant Improvements are at the Lessor’s cost. Please refer to Section 3 (Construction Standards and Shell Components) and specifically to Paragraph 3.07 (Building Shell Requirements) of the AAAP RLP Attachment #2 titled “Lease Contract” (GSA Form L100_AAAP ) for more detail. Tenant Improvement Components are detailed under Section 5 of the AAAP RLP Attachment #2 titled “Lease Contract” (GSA Form L100_AAAP) .

It is highly recommended that offerors start the SAM registration process directly following the offer submission. Refer to RLP Clause 3.06, Item 7.

(If applicable) The Government intends to award a Lease to an Offeror of a Building that is in compliance with Seismic Standards. Section 2.03 of the Request for Lease Proposals (RLP) outlines compliance activities required for all leases in moderate or high seismic zones. To determine if your property lies in a moderate or high zone, please reference the map and documents on our website.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code: X1AA – LEASE/RENTAL OF OFFICE BUILDINGS
  • NAICS Code: 531120 – Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses)
  • Place of Performance: West Palm Beach , FL USA
  • Updated Response Date: May 07, 2021 07:30 pm EDT

Full details via beta.sam.gov

govcon logo Check out our RESOURCES page for a sample letter that we use in response to government market research.

CACI Inc. Federal awarded $372.8M for joint geospatial analytic support services to U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)

Posted on by Eric Coffie

CACI Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $372,853,235 maximum labor-hour contract (H92402-21-C-0005) for joint geospatial analytic support services to U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The contract will provide proficient and capable geospatial analysts experienced with the processing, exploitation, and dissemination of traditional and non-traditional intelligence data. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $25,731,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. The places of performance include Fayetteville, North Carolina; Newport News, Virginia; Alexandria, Virginia; and multiple other locations in the U.S. and overseas. This contract was awarded competitively in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations Part 15 procedures. USSOCOM Headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity.

Caci Inc Federal was founded in 1975. The company’s line of business includes developing or modifying computer software and packaging. (www.bloomberg.com)

Everything About the Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) Code

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Learn what is a CAGE code and what are the things you need to consider about this in registering in the SAM database!

WHAT IS A CAGE CODE?

The Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) code is a five-character ID number assigned by the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).

This code is extensively used within the federal government in order to support a variety of mechanized systems and provide a standardized method of identifying a given legal entity at a specific location.

This code may be used for a facility clearance or a pre-award survey.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT THIS CODE!

One thing that you should consider is that you do not need to have a CAGE code prior to registration. This will be assigned to you for FREE when you register in the System for Award Management (SAM) database.

What happens is once the Entity Registration is submitted for processing, information will be routed to the DLA for CAGE code assignment.

Once the CAGE code has been approved, it will be sent back to SAM and added to the Entity Registration.

If for any reason, there is an issue with your CAGE code, you will receive an email notification. Please follow the instructions in the email to address these issues.

RESOURCES

Having a CAGE code is just one of the steps in the SAM registration process. With other things that you need in registering as a vendor and doing business with the federal government, let GovCon Giants help you. 

Just visit our website and other social media platforms or check the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

You can also check these resources below to learn more about the topic above and other resources that you might need:

What is a CAGE Code?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcz-GpTaAp8&list=PL6-jBNNcc98uGELU5VdhxbF4ZWFqa9OLf

Where do I start?

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6-jBNNcc98vgItLSmWLW2nZfNv9gOFeJ

SAM.gov

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6-jBNNcc98vntvG28s7FkbA5ZHzh5ttR

Small Business Tips

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6-jBNNcc98s8Wokfs6Gg03bCuthc8bkk