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With ANAMAR's
Small Business Administration (SBA) status as a Certified 8(a) Disadvantaged
Business, Government Agencies may choose to contract with ANAMAR using
sole-source acquisition.
Sole source contracts are usually approved in a matter of days. Federal
agencies have an 8(a) or small business program and the Small Business
Representative will understand how to guide their planners and engineers
through the 8(a) contract program. Because the 8(a) program is a federal
mandate, federal agencies get credit for the amount of work they issue
to a small business, small disadvantaged business, and 8(a) firms.
How the Program Works
The 8 (a) program is intended to benefit both the client as well
as the contractor through mechanisms that ensure quality performance.
Prior to acceptance into the program, the contractor is subjected to a
rigorous review of its ownership, daily management, operations, experience
and financial status. Only those contractors that can document disadvantaged
business status and demonstrate the viability of the organization are
accepted into the program. Once accepted, the contractor is required to
provide the SBA with a detailed business plan that must be updated annually.
Upon acceptance, each contractor is assigned Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) codes based on the qualifications and experience of the company
and key personnel. Performance of 8(a) contracts is then limited to those
SIC codes. As a company gains experience and expertise, it may request
additional codes from the SBA based on documentation of this experience.
Subcontracting
One of the goals of the 8(a) program is to allow non-8(a) contractors
to expand their scope of services. Therefore, the 8(a) contractor is permitted,
with approval of the SBA, to subcontract a portion of this work to other
qualified firms. While subcontracting is restricted to maintain the integrity
of the program as an opportunity for disadvantaged businesses, subcontracting
limits can be as high as 85 percent, depending on the industry. Contractors
develop valuable relationships, while the client benefits from a qualified,
experienced, well-rounded team.
There are different ways to contract with an 8(a) firm.
Download ANAMAR’s registration numbers, Engineering
License, and insurance information (PDF format).
Opportunity 1: Sole-Source Directly
to ANAMAR
Any federal agency can identify work especially suited for an 8(a)
firm and can set-aside the project without advertising in FedBizOpps/Commerce
Business Daily. This allows the federal agency to directly award a professional
service contract to this 8(a) firm without lengthy contracting delays.
If this option is chosen, the steps typically followed are:
- The project manager or interested party identifies a statement of
work, prepares a government estimate and earmarks funds.
- The agency chooses ANAMAR to perform the work
An authorization to negotiate is obtained from the SBA by filling out
a Small Business Coordination Record form. The interested party may consult
with their small business program office and/or the contracting office
in order to complete the Business Coordination Record or a Procurement
Request Form, depending on the agency. Federal departments have different
forms; for example, the DOD and its agencies use DD
Form 2579.
- The prepared contract documents must include the following statement:
“ "Request procurement be made pursuant to Section 8(a)
of the Small Business Act 15 U.S.C. 637(a) and in accordance with
FAR 19.8."
- Once the procurement request has been made, the Small Business Deputy
or the Contract Officer prepares an offer letter or a proposed project
form (FAR 19.804-2).
Download an offer letter template
for SBA Region 4 (Word Doc format).
- After the offering information is received and processed by the
SBA, the process returns to the contracting officer who submits the
Scope of Work and Request for Quotation to ANAMAR.
- ANAMAR submits its proposal and the package is evaluated and negotiated
(if necessary) by the agency.
- The contract is awarded.
Opportunity 2: Sole-Source IDIQ
for ANAMAR
When an agency finds an 8(a) company that they would like to utilize on
a regular basis, the agency might choose to award a sole-source Professional
Services IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity) contract. Preparation
of this IDIQ is very cost-effective for the agency as it minimizes the
length of time involved in contracting out individual task orders and
it is not as costly and time-consuming to award as a competitive IDIQ.
This type of contracting mechanism can be awarded very much like the sole-source
contracts described above.
Opportunity 3: BOA with ANAMAR
A BOA (Basic Order Agreement) can also be awarded on a sole-source basis
under the 8(a) program. A BOA is a written instrument of understanding,
negotiated between an agency, contracting activity, or contracting office
and a contractor, that contains the following items:
- Terms and clauses applying to future contracts (orders) between
the parties during its term
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A description, as specific as practicable, of
supplies or services to be provided
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Methods for pricing, issuing, and delivering future
orders under the Basic Ordering Agreement.
GSA Environmental Contracting
ANAMAR has been awarded the GSA Environmental Services Schedule, meaning that our capabilities, pricing, and qualifications in the area of environmental services have been pre-approved by the General Services Administration via GSA Federal Supply Schedule Contract No. GS-10F-0056T for SIN 899-1.
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