Sources sought notices have been a major discussion in my last few posts. They are basically notices from the government that are used to find out if there are business out there that can provide certain services or skills. Responding to these notices, like we at Frontline Support Solutions have done in the past six to eight months, doesn’t guarantee you the job, but it puts you ‘in the know’ in case the government does set that project aside for a company like yours. If you know the job is going to be up for grabs, you’re more likely to be prepared to strike when the time comes.

Like I’ve said before, the government gets to choose, based on the responses from their sources sought notices, if they are going to set aside the project for a certain small business group; a HUBZone, 8A, women owned, or service disabled vet owned company. Frontline Support Solutions has submitted to at least half a dozen or so notices in the last six to eight months. In October, I saw one that fit our capabilities and was very similar to the waste recycling project we performed here in San Antonio. So, I took the time to prepare this four to six page document that outlined the approach we would take to support their requirement.

Preparing this type of document can be tedious, but I know it’s crucial to my company as a selling document. I showed them our past performance on similar projects, demonstrating our ability to successfully complete the job. I outlined some of the innovations that we’ve provided to the government locally, how we’ve been efficient and saved them money. We sent that response back six months ago and just last week, we received a notice from the contracting officer saying that they’ve made the decision to set the project aside for a service disabled vet owned company. We don’t have the job yet, but we’re one step closer.

Of course, I’m going to keep my eyes open for when that solicitation goes public, but now that I know the work is coming, I’ve got to get prepared. The project is up north, so I’ve begun to contact subcontractors that I will need to get the job done. I’m actually going to travel up to the site to do some preliminary building of the team. That information is going to put me ahead of the rest of the competition. There are going to be other service disabled vet owned companies vying for the job, but if I can tie up the right team members, I’m going to build something that no one can beat. 

These sources sought notices may not sound like the easiest way to go about getting a job, but they are necessary in our economic times. Because of sequestration, a lot of the projects we have been chasing have dried up. I don’t have time to sit around and wait for those to start back up again, so I’ve got to figure out other ways to keep my guys working.  And even though it took six months of waiting and keeping our line in the water, we’re finally starting to get some nibbles. Sometimes it just takes a little perspective and if you need another one, feel free to contact me, Joe “VetBizMan†Perez, directly. Until next time…

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