Gloria Berthold Larkin
A frustrating detail discovered when working in the federal market is that one needs to be aware of not only what opportunities are available, but also the not-so-behind-the-scenes issue of funding. Is there any?
There is nothing more frustrating than to spend countless hours doing tedious research and cultivating the required relationships only to find out at the last minute that the targeted projects have been pulled because no funding is available.
Normally, when the federal fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, Congress is supposed to have already approved an annual operating budget for the upcoming year of expenditures. While this may sound boring, it is of great interest to serious contractors, because they have planned a strategy on how to win their share of $500 billion in federal contracts incorporated into that budget.
In recent years Congress has deviated from this timeline and repeatedly failed to approve a working budget in a timely manner and instead authorized something called a “continuing resolution.” When the federal government operates under a continuing resolution, this means that funding is approved only for maintenance of existing programs and projects; no new initiatives may be started.
From a practical perspective, this dramatically slows down federal spending, and thus begins the very frustrating and costly waiting period for contractors to learn if the projects on which they have bid will be funded. If not, many businesses will lay off workers because they cannot afford to keep them sitting on the bench. When funding is approved and contracts move forward, bidding, jobs and projects move into high gear.
Now that the budget has finally been approved for this fiscal year, the federal government has less than four months, from June through September, to spend more than 70% of the federal budget. This amounts to more than $300 billion in contracts flooding the market between now and Sept. 30.
If you are ready to tackle the market, this is an excellent time to enter and compete for the contracts that are up for bid. Check www.fbo.gov for the most recent listing of current opportunities.
In the meantime, contact the winning contractors noted here for subcontracting opportunities.
• Aliron International, Bethesda, along with CasePro, San Antonio, Texas; Chenega Global Services, Anchorage, Alaska; OMV Medical, Takoma Park, Md.; Professional Performance Development Group, San Antonio, Texas; and RGB Group, Inc., Miami, Fla., have won a contract totaling $225 million from The Naval Medical Logistics Command to provide health care workers. www.aliron.com
• ASRC Aerospace Corp., Greenbelt, won a $30,000 contract from the Glenn Research Center at NASA for research and development in the physical, engineering and life sciences. www.asrcaerospace.com/06_contactUs.htm
• DB Consulting Group, Silver Spring, won a $109,986 contract from the Glenn Research Center at NASA to provide facility management. www.dbconsultinggroup.com/contracts
• Executive Information Systems, Bethesda, won a $44,528 contract from the U.S. Secret Service to provide software. www.execinfosys.com/Contact%20Us.htm
• International Business Machine, Bethesda, won a $951,996 contract from the Office of Acquisition and Grants to provide software. www.ibm.com/contact/us/en
• Long Fence Co., Capitol Heights, won a $23,836 contract from Andrews Air Force Base for barricade fence rental. www.longfence.com/commercial/contact_us
• Professional Products, Gaithersburg, won a $17,040 contract from the Transportation Security Administration for radio and TV equipment manufacturing. www.professionalproducts.com/RelId/606515/ISvars/default/Contact_Us.htm
• Star Electric Co., Annapolis, won a $29,983 contract from the Defense Media Activity for alterations to the Electrical Distribution System at Fort Meade. www.electricianfrederick.com/ContactUs.html
• Syneren Technologies Corp., Lanham, won a $26,553 contract from Goddard Space Flight Center at NASA to provide systems development services. www.syneren.com/opportunities_partnering.html
• SYSCO Eastern Maryland, Pocomoke City, won a contract with a maximum of $22.5 million for full food service to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Army National Guard from the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia. www.syscoeasternmd.com/ordereze/1027/Page.aspx
• Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani, Baltimore, won a $7.5 million contract for miscellaneous civil/structural design and engineering services from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Washington, D.C. www.wbcm.com/contact/office-locations.html
Gloria Berthold Larkin is president of TargetGov in Elkridge. She can be contacted at 866-579-1346 and info@targetgov.
