Government Contracting Opportunities Update

Contracting Vehicle Use Expected to Change Within DoD

What contracting vehicles will give you the best exposure? GovExec Magazine says: “…Of the roughly $300 billion Defense spends on contracts annually, 2 percent is directed to interagency-assisted acquisitions while another 5 percent is spent on GSA's Multiple Awards Schedule and NASA's Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement... OMB also is weighing whether to develop a governance structure for creating and renewing interagency contracts. If adopted, such a governing body could determine whether "it's in government's best interests too keep all of its interagency vehicles," according to Robert Burton, deputy administrator of OMB's Office of Federal Procurement Policy. According to recent data, there are 54 multiple award contracts and 13 governmentwide acquisition contracts. ..”

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http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1007/101907rb1.htm

Will Women and Veterans Have More
Government Contract Opportunities?

“The House Small Business Committee approved a bill on Thursday designed to increase opportunities for veterans to have a larger role in procurement of federal contracts... To implement the executive order, the bill requires the Small Business Administration to provide service-disabled veterans the proper education, information and training for participating in the federal contracting process.

The bill also sought to provide more procurement opportunities for women by fully implementing the SBA's Women's Procurement Program. The program allows for the waiver of competition requirements in contracting if two or more offers come from female majority-owned businesses that are economically disadvantaged and are in an industry where female businesses are underrepresented…”

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http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1007/101907markup1.htm

3% Contractor Tax Affects Both Side of the Table

Government Executive magazine’s recent article states:
Contractor tax provision forces agencies to change financial systems

A provision in a tax law passed last year would require agencies to revamp financial management systems unless federal contractors are successful in convincing Congress to repeal the provision. Section 511 of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (TIPRA) requires federal, state and local government agencies to begin in 2011 withholding a tax of 3 percent of all payments of $100 million or more to government contractors. The 3 percent withholding would raise an estimated $7 billion between 2011 and 2015. Congress added the provision to the law to make it more difficult for contractors to avoid paying income taxes, said Chris Braddock, director of procurement policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's economic policy division.

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ABC/NAMC Chapters Promote Diversity Initiatives

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Chesapeake, Baltimore and NAMC/DC chapters will host a diversity mixer for women construction owners, suppliers, engineers, architects and other service related industries.

Women in Construction: Growing Together will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007 at BWI Marriott, 1743 W. Nursery Road, Baltimore, 6 – 8pm. The purpose of this event is threefold:

• to provide WBEs an opportunity to meet prime contractors;
  
• to help WBEs access new resources and business opportunities;
  
• to enhance coordination and cooperation between ABC and NAMC to promote both organizations’ national objectives

“We have received overwhelming support from our Chapter’s leadership. Diversity is a necessary element of construction here in Maryland and we are striving to be a part this effort,” says Chairwoman Kathy Wilmot, Board of Directors/ABC Baltimore. Echoing these sentiments, Pamela Volm of ABC Chesapeake says “This is something our chapter is quite interested in …we want more women and minority businesses to become members of ABC.”

Roseline Steppenwolf of the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) has been working diligently to solicit sponsors from the Washington, DC area. Exhibitors include: Gilford Corp., Hensel Phelps Construction, Blue Lake Crane Construction, The Barbour Group, OFX Construction Cleaning, Foulgar-Pratt, American Infrastructure, Atlantic Builders Group, PEPCO Holding Companies, Harkins Builders, J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Reliable Contracting, Anne Arundel Health Systems/Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Gilbane Building Co., Anne Arundel County Office of Central Services and Konover Construction.

Cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

For further information, contact:
J. Jackson, M/SBE Coordinator
AACo Office Central Svcs.
410/222-7620
phjack20@aacounty.org

www.abc-chesapeake.org
www.abcbaltimore.org
www.namcdc.org