Task Order Response - Shipley Associates Order Terminology A Request for Proposal (RFP) issued under...
Transcript of Task Order Response - Shipley Associates Order Terminology A Request for Proposal (RFP) issued under...
Why Task Orders?
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Task Order Procurement Trends: Current major trend, growing in
popularity among Gov. customers More TO master contracts being
awarded (ditto for task orders) TO master contract values on the
rise ($5B, $70B, $100B?) Master contracts are mid- to long-
term instruments ($3-7+ years, plus refresh/reissue/follow-ons)
Customers choose from multiple task order vehicles
Easier-to-use, faster, fewer hassles, easier to access preferred vendors.
Task Order Procurement Trends: Current major trend, growing in
popularity among Gov. customers More TO master contracts being
awarded (ditto for task orders) TO master contract values on the
rise ($5B, $70B, $100B?) Master contracts are mid- to long-
term instruments ($3-7+ years, plus refresh/reissue/follow-ons)
Customers choose from multiple task order vehicles
Easier-to-use, faster, fewer hassles, easier to access preferred vendors.
Implications for Contractors: Offer new business opportunities All master contracts not created
equal (ditto for task order requests), know the differences
Two-step process increases uncertainty (1) Win master contract, (2) Win task orders
Teaming agreements add complexity, capabilities
Short response times (30, 10, 1-day) strain resources, increase risk
Contractors frozen out of future business, if not on right contracts
Implications for Contractors: Offer new business opportunities All master contracts not created
equal (ditto for task order requests), know the differences
Two-step process increases uncertainty (1) Win master contract, (2) Win task orders
Teaming agreements add complexity, capabilities
Short response times (30, 10, 1-day) strain resources, increase risk
Contractors frozen out of future business, if not on right contracts
Source: FAR 16.5
Task Order Contracts Go By a Variety of Names
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These are contract vehicle forms, with significant variations within each form.
Task Order Terminology
Issued purchasing agreement which the customer issues for future but unspecified work
Describes general scope of work, period of performance, $$$ value/ceiling
Sets business terms, conditions, rates that apply to all subsequent task orders
Approves pre-qualified vendor(s) permitted to bid on task order requests
Awarded to one or more vendors (individual companies or prime/sub teams)
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Task Order Terminology
A Request for Proposal (RFP) issued under the master contract to obtain bids for a specified project (“task order”)
Vendors limited to those pre-approved by the master contract
Pre-approved vendors (individual companies or prime/sub teams) submit task order proposals in response to the task order request
Terms, conditions, rates flow down from master contract and do not need to be addressed in task order proposals unless changes/exceptions apply (ex: discount pricing).
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Task Order Terminology
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A bid submitted by a pre-approved vendor that describes how they will accomplish the task for a specified price
Task order proposals can be the “same” as other proposals or may have a variety of formats:
• Simple pricing spreadsheet with 1 to 100 resumes attached, emailed
• Standard proposal format with Technical/Management, Past Performance, Price section, electronic submission
• Multi-volume proposal , often with unique requirements, submitted in binders and on CDs
Task Order Terminology
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Once the customer has awarded the project (task order) to a vendor, then the legal documentation (agreement) is signed
Similar to a contract award, but done at the individual task order level
Once signed, the awardee begins work immediately.
Generalizations Can Be Dangerous
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Consider the following statements:
Statement Always Never Sometimes“Task orders are bid competitively.”
“Task orders are relatively small in value.”
“Task order proposals are short and page constrained.”
“Task order proposals have very short response periods.”
“Task order bids have few competitors.”
“Task order bids have a short cycle on the customer side – we can’t prepare in advance of the task order request.”
Variation of Task Order Bids
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Attribute Variations
End customer Can be one division, bureau, department/agency, or entire Executive Branch and beyond
Performance period Can be within one fiscal year or multi-year
Work scope/scale Can support a single program or many programs Master contract values range <$1M to $100+B
Pricing type Fixed price/rates, cost based, T&M, and/or incentive-basedContract marketing From minimal marketing by contractors to key requirementKey personnel Extent, commitment periods, replacement terms can vary TO response period TO proposal turnaround time can range from 90+ days to <1 day
TO proposal preparation
Can range from unspecified format with no page limits to highly prescribed format and very tight page constraints
Source selection Selection panel, evaluation, criteria vary for individual TOsCompetition Contract holders can range from 1 to 300+ (often 3 minimum)
Let’s Look at an Example: Alliant
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Alliant Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC)
Alliant Features
Ceiling: $50 BillionOrdering period of performance: May 2009 to April 2014, with one five-year option from April 2014 to April 30, 2019* (Basic Contract expiration date).
*Task Order performance can be performed up to April 30, 2024, which is past the Basic Contract expiration date, only when (1) orders are issued before April 30, 2019; and (2) options are included at initial issuance of the Order. The FAR Clause 52.217–8 Option to Extend Services cannot be used to extend work past April 30, 2024. (Refer to Alliant Contract Section F.3)
Challenges Posed by Our Customers
Limited customer intel—short advance notice, no industry day
Customer precludes us from bidding—chooses another vehicle
Customer may not invite us to bid
Little response time—solutioning/proposal-writing is compressed
Customer elicits bids to preserve “appearance” of competition
Customer awards to a “loser” just to keep them in the game.
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Challenges Posed by Our Competitors
Establish exclusive teaming agreements that limit our options
Deploy their teammates’ assets: intel, capture, proposal tasks
Know more about our competitors than we do
Discuss opportunity with customer before TO request is issued
Shape customer preferences behind the scenes, in their favor
Deviate from published contract rates, offering discounts.
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Challenges Posed by Our Own Companies
Weak customer relationships
Limited resources to anticipate upcoming task order bids
Limited intel about other contract holders
Task order process non-existent, not followed, too slow (afterthought)
Limited staff to work on TO proposals; limited re-use material
Unending conflict/dissatisfaction among teaming partners
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Key Win Factors
Leveraging automation for TO notification and tracking
Knowledge of the client
Knowledge of your competition
Understanding the issues and requirements
Having a good technical solution at a competitive price
Solid, relevant past performance
Qualified personnel with resumes that show relevance to this TO
Competitive pricing that we can deliver with low risk to us and the customer
Quality graphics that tell our story
A PMO that can provide winning TORs
Senior management that is supportive and ensures cross BU cooperation
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QuickTurn™ TO Response
(TOR) Process
Know the customer and their perception of us
Assess our competition
Determine customer issues, hot buttons, and requirements
Establish strategy, discriminators, themes, risk, and PTW
Make the Bid/No Bid decision
Document what we know and apply best practices – Use existing templates
Conduct a Pink Team Review
Prepare final review copy
Conduct a Red Team Review
Respond to the evaluation, polish and publish
Make submit decision
Deliver and prepare for execution
Government Release Task Order (TO)
1. TO Received by
PMO
2. TO Distributed
3. TO Analysis by IDIQ PM, TO Leads,
and Teammates
Bid Decision
Bid Decision
No BidNo Bid
( )
4. Conduct Kickoff
Including Teammate(s)
5. Identify Best Qualified
Teammate(s)
6. Assemble Best
Qualified/Best Value Team
)
7. Develop Solution for
TOR(Pink
Team)
Data Repositories
8. Identify TOR Lead and Staffing
9. Develop Cost BOEs & Pricing Solution
10. Develop
Complete TOR
11. Red Team
Review of TOR
Submit DecisionSubmit
Decision
12. Submit TOR to
Government
Prepare for Transition to TO Execution
Open, transparent team environment
Quick, responsive network/processes
Risk assessment key to demonstrating understanding
Use past performance specific to TO
Focus on HOW to accomplish TO requirements Existing, up-to-date data repositories
essential for quick-turn TORs
Examples: past performance & experience, resumes, standard plans, past proposals, graphics, BOEs, corporate metrics, CI/BI, PTW, lessons learned, etc.
“Share follows talent” Best value gets workshare
No bait and switch Bid people with highly
relevant skills to TOrequirement
PTW is critical in this LPTA environment
Developing accurate WBS & BOE is a must Well-defined, tailored
processes already in place
Yes
No
No
Yes
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Key decision gate
Know Our Customer
To improve either the reality or the buyer’s perception of reality about our offer
1. Know our customer and their perception of us. Seek to improve it!
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Know How Our Competitors Are Likely to Beat Us
Nothing new here, but are we taking it into account?
2. Assess our competition
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Understand the Real Requirements
Is it clear to us what the buyer is buying and the benefits they want and need?
3. Understand the customer’s issues, hot buttons, and the problem they’re trying to solve. Know the program mission … read more than the solicitation and the customer’s website!
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Establish Win Strategy, Discriminators, Themes, Risk, & PTW
Win Strategy = Action
4. Establish the justification for the customer to select us as the bidder of choice. Use real discriminators that distinguish us from the competition, themes that highlight those discriminators and the benefits they provide the customer, risks that are identified and mitigated, and a PTW that ensures we are competitively priced.
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Make a Bid/No Bid Decision
5. Challenge all the assumptions we’ve made about the customer, our competitors, our own company, and our solution to confirm that we’re likely to win and execute profitably. If we can’t confirm, it’s never too late to No Bid.
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Document What We KnowWhen confronted with the realities of the customer, the competitors and our own abilities to address the real requirements, there is seldom an abundance of viable solutions.
6. Gather our team (if any) and document our win strategy, themes, risk assessment, pricing bogey, ghosting ideas, and draft solution outline.
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Conduct a Pink Team ReviewPink Teams review the key elements of our response. By this time, we are about 1/3 of the way through your response process. Not too late to make a major adjustment, if needed.
7. Get feedback (reviews) on our response preparations from individuals outside the proposal whose abilities and knowledge we respect.
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Now We Can Write
With our Pink Team comments and validation in hand, follow the plan we made and draft the proposal. If we planned well, we won’t need to draft again.
8. Prepare a final review copy
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Independently Evaluate the DraftConduct a Red Team review of the proposal. Have someone not involved in the proposal read our solicitation while we’re drafting and then score the draft by the evaluation criteria. We should be approximately 2/3 of the way through our schedule now.
9. Simulate the customer’s evaluation
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Address Needed Changes and Gaps
This is the point on a large TOR where most contributors go back to their offices and a handful of folks finish.
10. Respond to the evaluation, polish and publish
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Confirm the Bid Decision and Make Decision
11. Confirm the decision to submit the bid (assess risk, price, etc.) and deliver it on time
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Deliver and Prepare for Execution
12. Deliver on time and ensure all preparations (people, facilities, equipment, procedures, etc.) are available, ready, and committed to execution of the task order.
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Let’s Back Up to Good Process
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In our 12 steps, did we?
Emphasize planning to
minimize risk
Align with the buyer to improve
benefits focus
Collect analysis to support
decision making
Rely on team reviews
to drive collaboration and improve
quality
Institutionalize best practices, including use of templates
Maintain the “big picture” with rational
approaches to tasks
Apply a benefits-
driven solution
approach
How Well Did We Tailor the TOR Process?
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Are We In A Favored Position Based Upon Our Solution and Price?
Did We Consolidate Activities While Maintaining Our Discipline?
Gate reviews Mock-ups Team reviews
TOR QuickTurn™ Guidelines
Be compliant and responsive – Use a compliance matrix Make TOR easy to score and evaluate Develop win themes quickly – highlight them Identify differentiators – be compelling Document and validate solution Link proposed solution to mission/objectives Avoid wordy explanations and jargon
• Be clear, concise, and correct in your writing
Avoid complacency or “incumbentitis”
Staffing
• Identify key staff early
• Name staff
• Meet/exceed requirements
• Support skills matrices within resumes
Management
• Support with examples/metrics
• Industry “best practices”
• Proposed team’s responsibilities/authorities
• Exceed evaluation criteria
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Guidelines (Cont.’d)
Past Performance
• Comparable past performances
• Diverse experience
• Current references
• Engage business units
• Support experience relevancy matrices within past performance references
Graphics
Orals
Proposal Ops
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Summary: Key Win Factors
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1. Good Client Knowledge2. Good Knowledge of our Competition
3. Right Technical Solution, Well-Defined4. PMO to Manage TOR
5. Relevant Past Performance6. Quality Resumes
7. Effective, Descriptive Graphics8. Competitive Pricing
9. Cooperative Management
Thank You!
Contact Information:
Brad Douglas – [email protected]
David Bol – [email protected]
Eric Gregory – [email protected]
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