Business & Marketing

Market Research (FAR Part 10) is conducted to determine the availability of commercial products and services and to identify and evaluate market practices. It’s a continuous process of finding viable sources of goods and services to meet government requirements and is mandated for all acquisition programs. It’s conducted by key members of a program’s Integrated Product

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) involves the radical redesign of core business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in productivity, cycle times, and quality. In Business Process Re-engineering, companies start with a blank sheet of paper and rethink existing processes to deliver more value to the customer. They typically adopt a new value system that places increased

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act (29 USC Chapter 23) offers protection to workers, their families, and communities by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs. This notice must be provided to either affected workers or their representatives (e.g., a labor union); to the

The Wage Determinations Online (WDOL) Program provides a single location for federal contracting officers to use in obtaining appropriate Service Contract Act (SCA) and Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) wage determinations (WDs) for each official contract action. The website is available to the general public as well. Guidance in selecting WDs is provided in the WDOL.gov User’s

  The System for Award Management (SAM) is combining eight (8) federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one new system. SAM is being deployed in phases, beginning with the “Entity Management” capability and the Exclusions portion of the “Performance Information” capability.    Website: System for Award Management (SAM)   SAM

Supply and Demand is an economic model of price determination in a market. It concludes that in a competitive market, the unit price for a particular good will vary until it settles at a point where the quantity demanded by consumers will equal the quantity supplied by producers resulting in an economic equilibrium of price

  All prospective contractors submitting a Request for Proposal (RFP) responses must be determined “Responsible” by the Program Contracting Officer (PCO) before they can be considered contract contenders. In order for a contractor to be considered “Responsible” they must: Have adequate cash or lines of credit, Be able to comply with the required delivery schedule

  A Sole Proprietorship is a business that is owned and managed by one owner.  They may use a trading name or business name other than their legal name for the company. There is generally a requirement to file a fictions business as a statement with the local authorities if the company isn’t named after

  A partnership is a business that is owned by more than one owner. These owners share in operating the business and assume liabilities for is debts.  There are several types: [1] General Partnership: All owners share in assuming liability for the business debts. Limited Partnership: Has one or more limited partners who don’t have

The Professional Services Council (PSC) is the national trade association of the government professional and technical services industry.  In 2008, PSC and the Contract Services Association of America (CSA) merged to create a single voice representing the full range and diversity of the government services sector. It’s solely focused on preserving, improving, and expanding the

A nonprofit organization is an organization whose goal do not include a personal profit for its owners or organization.  Nonprofit organizations often do strive for internal gains, but they use them to meet their social or educational goals rather than for personal profit.  [1] Ownership is the quantitative difference between for- and not-for-profit organizations. For-profit

Free-rein leadership, also called Laissez-Faire, is a type of leadership style in which leaders are hands-off and allow group members to make the decisions. Managers set objectives, and employees are free to do whatever is appropriate to accomplish those objectives. The traits managers need in such an organization include warmth, friendliness, and understanding.  Free-rein is

The Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP) is a Department of Defense (DoD) program established to promote and facilitate the sharing of technical information between government agencies and industry partners to increase systems safety, reliability, and readiness and to reduce systems development, production, and ownership costs. GIDEP has been designated by OMB Policy Letter 91-3 as

A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a business structure allowed by state statute. LLCs are popular because similar to a corporation, owners have limited personal liability for the debts and actions of the LLC. Other features of LLCs are more like a partnership, providing management flexibility and the benefit of pass-through taxation. [1] The federal

The Federal Data Procurement System (FPDS) – Next Generation (NG) is a single source for US government-wide procurement data. The system is managed by the General Services Administration (GSA), which is operated and maintained by Global Computer Enterprises. The FPDS-NG is the current central repository of information on Federal contracting. The system contains detailed information

  A Franchise is a form of business that agrees to the rights to sell the product or services of an established business and use their name in a given territory. A franchisee is a person who buys a franchise and signs a franchise agreement.  A franchise can be a sole proprietorship, a partnership or

An Economic Analysis (EA) is a systematic approach to selecting the most efficient and cost-effective strategy for satisfying a business or agency’s need.  An EA evaluates the relative worth of different technical alternatives, design solutions, and/or acquisition strategies, and provides the means for identifying and documenting the costs and associated benefits of each alternative to

Electronic Document Access (EDA) is a web-based system that provides secure online access, storage, and retrieval of contracts, contract modifications, Government Bills of Lading (GBLs), DFAS Transactions for Others (E110), vouchers, and Contract Deficiency Reports (CDR) to authorized users throughout the Department of Defense (DoD). The EDA is provided thru the DoD Wide Area Workflow

The Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) is a reporting system that reports subcontracting plans and provides agencies with access to analytical data on subcontracting performance. eSRS provides the government with insight as to how its contracting dollars are being distributed among small and disadvantaged businesses. [1] Website: Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) Benefits of eSRS:

The Defense Business Board (DBB) provides the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, as well as other senior leaders, with independent advice, which reflects an outside private sector perspective, on proven and effective best business practices for application to the Department. It was established in 2001 as a complement to broader transformation efforts in the