Helping businesses find, win and perform on government contracts • maineapex.com | |
|
Small Disadvantaged Businesses: Be Prepared for More Oversight in 2024
Miranda Pelkey, Deputy Director & Central Maine APEX Counselor
Serving Penobscot, Piscatiquis, Waldo, and Hancock Counties
President Biden recently increased the federal spending goal to Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) to 13% for fiscal year 2024. The process of designating your small business as a SDB is as simple as checking the checkbox in the System for Award Management (SAM). Many small businesses, in their haste and possible confusion to complete the daunting SAM registration, check the SDB box without fully understanding what they are attesting to. Last year, the Office of Inspector General issued a warning to the SBA that a significant number of businesses have been falsely certified due to gaps in oversight. Because of this warning, more oversight is expected for 2024. The best practice to ensure this does not apply to your business, is to double check your representations and certifications in SAM.gov to insure your business is being represented accurately. This can be done during the annual renewal process or separately should there be a pressing concern.
On the other hand, if your business is owned and controlled by an economically and socially disadvantaged individual as defined by the FAR, and you have not checked the SDB box in your SAM.gov account, now is the time to do so! Federal contracting officers have an ambitious goal to meet and will be prioritizing SDBs. And as always, when in doubt, check with Maine APEX.
| | |
|
Empowering Businesses in the Midstate Region: My Journey as Maine APEX's New Procurement Counselor
Marissa Henkel, Maine APEX Procurement Counselor
Serving Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, Kennebec, and Somerset Counties
Greetings to the Midstate region community! Having recently joined the Maine APEX team, I am excited to introduce myself as your Procurement Counselor. My professional background has been deeply rooted in international education, spanning nearly two decades across Central America and Asia. During this time, I played a foundational role in establishing new schools, conducting diverse training workshops, and aiding institutions in meeting rigorous accreditation requirements.
As your new Procurement Counselor, I bring my passion for lifelong learning to support local businesses. During these initial months at Maine APEX, I've immersed myself in assisting businesses on their journey to government contracting success. My focus has been on welcoming new and existing Maine APEX clients, guiding them through crucial steps to ensure they are well-equipped to navigate the complexities of government procurement. In one-on-one counseling sessions, I have facilitated SAM.gov registration submissions, a fundamental step for eligibility in government contracts. I've actively assisted in setting up business profiles for State and Federal databases, enhancing businesses' visibility in the government marketplace. My expertise extends to supporting businesses craft compelling capabilities statements that highlight their competitiveness.
Whether your business is just beginning to explore the government marketplace, seeking to obtain SBA certifications, or is poised to compete for contract opportunities, I look forward to collaborating with you, sharing insights, and fostering your business’s success in the government contracting realm. I am committed to fostering relationships within our community and making government procurement accessible to all businesses across Midstate Maine. Together, let's embark on this exciting journey and empower your business for success!
Office Hours:
Monday to Friday: 8am-5pm
· Mondays: Located at the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission
· Tuesdays to Fridays: Located at TechPlace in the Brunswick Landing
Available for:
· In-person meetings, video conferences, and phone calls at your convenience
Contact Information:
· Email: mhenkel@emdc.org
· Phone: (207)-299-4810
| |
|
Capability Statements
Morgan Rocheleau, Maine APEX Accelerator Counselor
Serving York and Cumberland Counties
Recently, I've been having a lot of conversations with small business owners about creating or updating a capability statement, which made me think if a few want to know, I am sure others do as well. If you are not familiar with a capability statement, they have been coined as the “resume for your business.” This is true on many levels in my opinion. First and foremost, this document is the way to make a first impression for your business and what it offers. This is important especially for businesses trying to break into the government marketplace, as business owners will be sharing this document with contracting officers, purchasers, and prime contractors. Having a document that well represents your company can be essential for success.
My first recommendation is to think of your capability statement as a dynamic document that is evolving and changing all the time. If you have been in the government space for a while or have a capability statement already, it might be time to review it again to make sure it is still the best representation of the business currently. Depending on the industry you work in, I highly recommend that you have several versions of the capability statement that will speak to the various areas of your business. You don’t want one document that makes it look like your business is the “jack of all trades and master of none.” You should have one that highlights a specific work you do, and use that when you are pursuing an opportunity that is highly focused on that trade or service. Similarly to a personal resume when you are applying for a specific job opportunity, you want it to make it look as if you are an expert in that industry despite having experience in other arenas. For example, your business is landscaping, and the business offers services from tree removal to hardscapes, along with many other services. If the business is pursuing an opportunity to be an arborist for the city on a long-term contract, you don’t want to send the purchaser a capability statement that highlights the patio and walkway work the company has done over the past year. It would be much better if the company had a capability statement that only highlights tree removal and trimming. First takeaway: have several versions that fit all the work your company offers and make sure it speaks directly to the contract opportunity.
The other big takeaway is that there are some basic sections that must be included in capability statements. These sections are Core Competencies, Past Performance, Differentiators, Company Data and Contact Information. Each of these sections play an important role in showcasing the company. These sections also speak to each of the contracting officers, purchasers, and prime contractors in different ways to the level of preparedness you have for the government marketplace. To ensure that your capability statement is in tip top shape, reach out to your APEX counselor, as this is one of the many services our program offers to clients.
| | | | |
