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Protest Download: Bid Protests, Size Protests, and Status Protests

Speakers: Megan Connor, Esq., Partner, PilieroMazza
Jon Williams, Esq., Partner PilieroMazza
Description: Protests are part and parcel of the procurement process. While bid protests may be the most common, disappointed offerors on set-aside contracts may also file size and status protests challenging the awardee’s eligibility as a small business, SDVOSB, HUBZone, or WOSB. This session will discuss:

• Making the decision to protest and what to expect
• When and where to file
• How to get the most from your debriefing
• Common protest arguments
• Defending your award against a bid protest
• How to be prepared for a size or status protest

Year in Review: Laws and Regulations Affecting Government Contractors

Speakers: Pam Mazza, Managing Partner, PilieroMazza
Description: This year Congress and the Agencies have made tweaks to some laws and regulations affecting government contractors.  There have also been some interesting rulings by SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals, GAO  and the Court of Federal Claims.  This session will provide an update on those changes and how they may impact Veteran and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned government contractors. Highlights include:  OHA’s new authority regarding CVE  appeals and eligibility protests; the proposed rule regarding ownership and control of SDVOSB companies, updates on the limitations on subcontracting rule and the mentor protégé programs; size standards, employment law changes, the plight of larger small businesses and an update on the Section 809 Panel’s proposed revamp of the DOD procurement system.

Playing to Win: 10 Legal Secrets to Contracting Success

Speaker: Mark R. “Hawk” Thomas, Managing Counsel at Reid Law PC
Description: What do entity formation, corporate governance, customer relationships, vetting alliances, proposal development, bid protests, contract performance, managing subcontractors, ethics programs, financial recordkeeping, dispute resolution, suspension and debarment, and the False Claims Act have in common? Figuring out what matters most—and then doing it well—is the difference between success and failure. Learn what you must do to ensure strategic victory and avoid fatal missteps in federal contracting.

Advanced Teaming Strategies for Business Development and Capture: How to Use Teaming, JVs and the Mentor Protégé Programs to Score the Contracts You Want

Speakers: Maria L. Panichelli -Partner, Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC
Tan V. Wilson, PMP, Entellect, President
Description: Every contractor knows that teaming, joint ventures and the mentor protégé programs are some of the hottest topics in Federal contracting. And for good reason! Whether you are a small business looking to expand your capabilities and land larger contract awards, or a large business looking for access to set-aside contracts, partnering up is just good business. It can mean the difference between getting the award, and losing out to a competitor. When done incorrectly, however, these types of agreements can have negative consequences for both large and small businesses. In this session, we will discuss why to team or joint venture, as well as the differences between teaming, JVs, and the mentor-protégé program, and how to tell which, if any, is right for you. We will further discuss common pitfalls, and show you how to set your agreement up correctly to protect your rights and safeguard your small business eligibility. Finally, we will explain how to leverage these types of relationships into getting bigger and better contracts.

VetBiz Verification: Getting (And Keeping) Verified Status

Speakers: William E. Thomas, Esq, former Judge with the VA’s Board of Contract Appeals
Sarah Schauerte, Attorney at Law, Legal Meets Practical, LLC
Description: To obtain veteran set-aside contracts from the VA, VOSBs and SDVOSBs must go through a “verification” process administered by the VA’s Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE), where the CVE requests documentation and information to confirm that a company is truly “veteran-owned” and “veteran-controlled.” Once you are “verified,” you must maintain your eligibility, which involves reporting changes to your business and potentially surviving an audit. Upon the expiration of your three-year verification period, you’ll go through the process all over again.

Learn how to get (and keep!) your verified status as our experts lead you through all the relevant stages and scenarios. Also, a comprehensive handbook on all aspects of the process will be made available.

Advanced Master Class: Using Your VOSB and SDVOSB Certification to Drive Growth Now

Speaker: Gloria Larkin, President, CEO and Founder, TargetGov
Description: This interactive master class anticipates that the attendee has experience in the federal market and is now ready for accelerated growth. Topics focus on increasing opportunities to drive aggressive growth and business development leveraging your current socio-economic status now and how to continue growth once you outgrow the small size standards. Attendees of this session will learn specific practical actionable strategies and tactics to fast-track federal market growth. Topics covered include: Funding trends, Contract vehicles, Positioning to win market share, Federal decision makers, Fast-track tools for success, Using the Mentor-Protégé Program for growth, Guaranteeing decision-maker meetings, and creating trackable, measurable business development and capture processes.

Grow by Acquisition: How Your SD/VOSB Could Buy a Company

Speaker: Tony Moscatelli, CEO Associated Veterans, Live Oak Bank
Jackie Robinson-Burnette, Government Contracting Expert, Live Oak Bank
Description: Federal contractors who want to grow need IDIQ’s, GWACS, MACs and access to all the hallways of Category Management. That takes years…but it doesn’t have to if you can buying someone else’s contract vehicles and book of business. Learn how an SDVOSB who wanted to grow his company decided to expand by acquisition, and got the advice and capital he needed to do the job. Discover considerations, tools, opportunities and resources for your SD/VOSB to do the same.

Win Your First Federal Contract

Speaker: Aaron Moak, CEO/Founder/Owner, PingWind
Description: Get an inside look at the steps on the journey from First Contact to First Contract. Understand the options and resources that can support you as you start small, getting the first meeting, building relationships, and creating low-risk opportunities that make it easy for a new client to say, “Yes, you!”

Discrimination and Harrassement by the Client

Speaker: Nichole Atallah, Esq. Partner PilieroMazza
Description: Although most contracts are not personal services contracts, it doesn’t stop many contracting officers from directing removal of employees or getting involved in the administration of your workforce. After all, the customer is always right. Right? If a contractor blindly follows these directives, it could be exposed to employment liability for discrimination, harassment or whistleblower claims, even if government personnel are the problem. In this session, we will discuss what a contractor is obligated to do or can do in these difficult situations.

Your Next Federal Buyers: Find, Woo, and Win Them

Speaker: Judy Brandt, CEO, Summit Insight
Description: Want the Competitive intelligence* to get ahead of the next RFP? Pinpoint the buyer before your competition does? Meet all the right people? Find out who they like to work with and how they like to do business? Get your pricing squared away? Make it easy for them to choose you? Join us to discover the clues you need, and what to do with the data once you’ve got it. Oh yeah: the data* we’ll explore is all free. Yup.

Large Prime Contractor Town Hall Panel Session (Click on presenter’s name)

Moderator: Ludmilla Parnell, Director, Small Business Partnerships, General Dynamics Information Technology

Speakers: Thosie Varga, Supplier Diversity Officer, L3 Technologies
Michael Townsend, Sr. Director Small Business Program, SAIC
Lynn Livengood, Manager, Small Business Officer, Booz Allen Hamilton
Rita Brooks, Small Business Liaison Officer, Textron Systems

Description: Meet the Small Business Liaison Panel consisting of representatives from L3, Textron, Booz Allen Hamilton, and SAIC to deliver insightful messages about how best to approach these large businesses or other large primes with information other than your socio-economic status. What do large prime contractors look for from the small business community? What types of marketing material is helpful? Where do they find their small business partners? How do you get on their radar? Do they formally mentor small businesses and if so, how do you get in front of them?

This panel session is moderated by one of the most seasoned small business liaisons in the large prime contractor community. Ludmilla Parnell is General Dynamics Information Technology Director of their Small Business Partnerships. She will lead this informative, interactive, and entertaining session with the purpose of helping the veteran owned small business community build a successful business relationship with large prime contractors.

Winning Strategies and Proven Best Practices for Government Prospecting

Speaker: Joshua Frank, Managing Partner, RSM Federal & Managing Partner, Federal Access Program
Description: An educational, fast-paced, high-energy and thought-provoking session on how to approach the first meeting with a prospect. It’s amazing how many advisors, mentors, and consultants provide recommendations – but you’re not told how to best apply what you’ve learned. If you and / or your employees are often fearful or uncertain when meeting prospects, this session is guaranteed to give you a new sense of confidence. This session is designed to be impactful and for many, will realign your expectations on what to actually focus on during an initial prospect meeting . . . because it’s NOT about making a sale or discussing your socio-economic status. We will discuss pre-meeting activities including research and planning; how to facilitate the onsite meeting with your prospect; how to control the direction of the meeting, prioritizing your meeting objectives; and how to successfully follow-up. Everyone tells you to bring a copy of your capability statement or marketing slick – don’t. Everyone tells you to introduce your company by including your socio-economic status, that you’re a small business that you’re woman-owned or veteran-owned or minority owned – don’t. We’ll explain why during the session.

How to Competitively Respond to Sources Sought (SS) and Influence the Acquisition

Speaker: Joshua Frank, Managing Partner, RSM Federal & Managing Partner, Federal Access Program
Description: An educational, fast-paced, high-energy and thought-provoking session on how to competitively respond to a sources sought or request for information. Ten years ago, the government did not utilize Sources Sought as a primary acquisition tool. In fact, only about 1% of opportunities were sources sought. Jump forward to 2018 and between 8% – 10% of opportunities in FBO are sources sought. This indicates the government is more focused on achieving the right balance in terms of acquisition strategy AND this is positive for government contractors as well.

Most companies respond to a sources sought by only answering the given questions and providing the information requested by the government.

There are several key strategies for responding to a sources sought. The first is creating a standardized response format with cover page, corporate overview, and capability statement. The second is recognizing that you should utilize a sources sought to “influence the acquisition.” You influence the acquisition by making recommendations and “ghosting” your strengths and the weaknesses of the competition. This session will be heavy on examples to maximize understanding of the various techniques and strategies for responding to a sources sought in order to influence the acquisition.

Unlike most sessions, this is more than a general or abstract discussion. This session is designed to provide real-world examples of how companies have successfully influenced during pre-acquisition in order to be more competitive.

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