Business Development Newsletter Series

• Sources Sought Announcements Are Requesting GSA Schedule Information
  

  As one would expect, Fedmarket constantly monitors federal bid announcements including those pertaining to sources sought or requests for information.  It has become increasingly clear that contracting officials are more frequently looking for... read more

• Know the Customer
  

  There's an age-old axiom followed by federal contracting experts:  If you don't know the customer, don't bid on the job.  It's so simplistic, yet so true. Experienced contractors know and follow this basic premise and inexperienced... read more

• The IDIQ Smorgasbord
  

  Let's look at a typical IDIQ scenario: A large IDIQ contract opportunity (sometimes worth several billion dollars) is posted at FedBizOpps. After the evaluation of proposals, a number of "pricing only" awards are announced to between three to one... read more

• Recent Trends Discovered While Surfing FedBizOpps
  

  In contrast to how things were handled in the past, recent publicly-announced bids found at FedBizOpps are either specifically stating that GSA schedule pricing is "preferred" or that only GSA Schedule holders will be considered. ... read more

• Strange but Real IDIQ Purchases
  

  The following are Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) solicitations for items that might not be normally considered items that would be bought through an IDIQ contract: IDIQ for Quantitative Analysis and Scientific Evaluation of Hawaiian... read more

• IDIQ Contracts: Purchasing Vehicle of Choice for Facility Contracts
  

  Just like the federal IT sector, which has been rich with contracting opportunities for interested vendors, Indefinite Delivery/ Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts have been prevalent for facility-related contracts for the last few years. Unlike the IT... read more

• Danger, Will Robinson
  

  Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts generally run for terms from 3 to 10 years although recent research done at FedBizOpps indicates that 5 and 10 year periods of performance are becoming much more common. For the most... read more

• Small Businesses and Current Trends in Federal Contracting
  

  The current political environment in both Congress and the Executive Branch appears to be pro small business, at least through the fall election. We base this conclusion on the following factors:  New small business initiatives in the GSA... read more

• Everyone Comes in First in an IDIQ Award
  

  Many of our recent newsletters have discussed the increase in popularity of Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts in the federal arena. As a result of this trend, Fedmarket developed an IDIQ Search Engine which provides daily... read more

• Narrowing the IDIQ Field
  

  Why not try to win many IDIQs? Well, winning an IDIQ is not only expensive but, more importantly; with too many you are in danger of losing focus. And focused sales efforts are critical to keep sales costs within reason. Equally important, you do not... read more

• The IDIQ Market
  

  The federal market is always changing and IDIQs are no exception. Major shifts in the market include: using of large umbrella contracts (IDIQs) to purchase goods and services that could be competed individually(this is known as bundling) justifying... read more

• Learning the Lingo: Vehicle
  

  A contracting vehicle or just vehicle as its known in the DC corridors of power is not something you ride in. It’s a method of awarding a contract within the federal purchasing rules. The term has almost become synonymous with IDIQ contract, but not... read more

• Selling Before the Public Bid
  

  Most public bids have been pre-sold by vendors to varying degrees and often several pre-sellers will be the only companies that really have a chance of winning. Experienced contractors also know that bidding opportunities for a reoccurring contract are... read more

• Acronym: IDIQ Contract
  

  Companies new to the federal market often find the alphabet soup of acronyms like IDIQ to be madly confusing. As defined by Wikipedia and shortened here: IDIQ is a contracting acronym meaning Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity. An IDIQ is a type... read more

• Comparing Bidding Strategies for IDIQs and Public Bids
  

  Our experts have preached for years on end that companies should be exceptionally cautious about bidding on single award, public bids. The reasons for caution are: One or more companies have most likely pre-sold most public bids The... read more

• Selling Using an IDIQ
  

  Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts vary from agency to agency and there are a number of different types.  From a perspective of trying to develop a federal sales strategy, IDIQs are natural focusing... read more

• More on Selecting the Best IDIQ
  

  With thousand of IDIQs out there, developing a sales strategy can be a tangled mess. However, it may not be as challenging as you might have originally thought.  Those that have been already awarded are not an option for you unless... read more

• Which Flavors of IDIQs Should Our Company Seek?
  

  The federal government doesn't actually know the number of active IDIQs but rough estimates are that the number exceeds 2,000 and is increasing at an annual rate of approximately 30%. There are a large number of different IDIQs and... read more

• IDIQs Keep Getting Bigger as More are Issued
  

  Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity contracts (IDIQs) are funded when individual task orders are issued for competition among the companies that have received awards. Task orders are getting bigger and bigger and will soon reach the magic one... read more

• Squeezing the Procurement Sponge: IDIQ Contracts Limit Competition within the Rules
  

  This in the first in a series of six (6) newsletters about federal Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts and their growing importance in the federal market. As we speak, federal buyers are processing their procurement dollars... read more

• Multi Vendor Contracts: Becoming the Rule
  

  In previous newsletters, we described how multi-vendor contracts (IDIQ contracts) are becoming the rule rather than the exception in federal contracting. Federal purchasing officials are now using IDIQ contracts to procure virtually... read more

• Only One Way to WOSB Certification
  

  The SBA's stated goal when announcing the new Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) program was to expeditiously implement the policies, procedures and regulations necessary to ensure that federal contract dollars would immediately start... read more

• Where is the Needle in the Haystack of Federal Contract Opportunities?
  

  The first step to winning federal business is to invest in an aggressive, direct federal sales program. Notice the word "direct." Resellers can sell some of your products but services have to be sold by you. Many companies that make... read more

• The Benefits of an IDIQ Contract
  

  Recent installments have discussed the federal government’s unending march to award federal contract through Indefinite Duration Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contacts. What Are They: In the simplest terms, they are multi-year contracts that are... read more

• The Trend Towards Multiple Award Contracting Escalates
  

  The multiple award contract is becoming a way of life in the federal government. Many large, federal multiple award contracts have been awarded this year; several of them carrying ceilings of more than $1 billion. And that is only the tip of... read more

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