September 23, 2009, the administration kicked off an contest for federal employees.  The challenge? To propose the best idea to cut the federal budget.

Details on the competition are available at SAVEAward.gov, a secure Web site operated by the Office of Management and Budget and restricted to government workers. The SAVE site, which stands for Securing Americans Value and Efficiency, allows federal employees to submit cost-cutting ideas through October, 14, 2009. The SAVE Award is part of the President’s commitment to a line-by-line review of the Federal budget.

A team of Office of Management and Budget officials will recommend the best submissions to President Obama and a winner will be announced in November.

Submissions will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Does the idea reduce costs in a way that is concrete and quantifiable?
• Does the idea improve the way that government operates by:
  • Improving the quality of output at lower costs; or
  • Simplifying processes to reduce administrative burden; or
  • Improving the speed of government operations to improve efficiency?
• Does the idea have a tangible impact on citizens’ lives or environment?
• Is there a clear and practical plan for implementing the idea?
• Will it be possible to begin realizing ?

“The president and I believe it’s important to hear the voices of those on the front lines,” said Jeffrey Zients, the White House chief performance officer and former chairman of the management consulting firms the Advisory Board Company and Corporate Executive Board. “I’ve seen these kinds of contests work in the private sector, and I believe there is nothing like a contest to motivate people,” Zients said. “Americans across the country know that the best ideas often come from workers — not just management,” he said. “That’s why we’ll establish a process through which every government worker can submit their ideas for how their agency can save money and perform better. We’ll put the suggestions that work into practice. And later this year, I will meet with those who come up with the best ideas to hear firsthand about how they would make your government more efficient and effective.”

Effective Sept. 8, 2009, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will require government contractors and subcontractors  to use the E-Verify system to verify their employees’ eligibility to work in the United States if their contract includes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify Clause.

According to information published on the USCIS website, in July, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano “strengthened employment eligibility verification by announcing the Administration’s support for the regulation that will award federal contracts only to employers who use E-Verify to check employee work authorization.”

E-Verify is a free online platform that compares information from the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) against federal government databases to verify workers’ employment eligibility. It works to deter unauthorized individuals from attempting to work and also helps encourage employers to comply with federal immigration laws.

After Sept. 8, companies awarded a contract with an “e-verify clause”, will be required to enroll in E-Verify within 30 days of the contract award date. E-Verify will then confirm that any employee working for the company that is contracted, is legally able to work in the U.S.

Click here for more information on E-verify.

According to a recent Las Vegas Business Press article, a government seminar held in Las Vegas drew a crowd of approximately 60 business owners together to learn about the opportunity available through federal government contracting.

According to the article, the seminar drew “architects, engineers, financial service providers and other professionals who (were) looking to tap into government contracts as private-sector projects dry up. What used to be a largely untouched frontier is becoming a battlefield as companies see the county as a business partner that could bring in new revenue.”

“People like us wouldn’t typically approach things like this, but right now government projects are the way to go,” said Gloria Long-Hernandez of architectural firm GMRA. “We are definitely interested in the new opportunities and we have all the credentials for them.”

“There were times when we would send out requests for proposals and no one would show up,” said Nita Lopez, the county small-business coordinator who produced the event. “Now people would even come to prebids. The providers are hungry for jobs and it’s a good thing for us.”

Did you know that the B2G Institute offers free workshops on doing business with the government? Click here to find out when we will be in your city.

According to a recent Orlando Sentinel article, the U.S. Small Business Administration has started posting informational videos to YouTube, in an effort to expand it’s outreach.

 This popular site is the perfect vehicle from the SBA to reach a larger audience, including the young entrepreneur. The SBA YouTube channel includes an introduction to the SBA’s services, video of recent SBA Conference speakers, informational videos on topics such as hiring and marketing, and more!

 Check out the SBA YouTube site at: YouTube.com/sba.

Did you know that the B2G Institute is now on YouTube?  Check us out at: YouTube.com/B2GInstitute.

The B2G Fall 2009 National Conference Early Bird pricing ends today! Register now!

The B2G Fall 2009 National Conference is where you can find out how to harness one of the most exceptional business-building opportunities in our country’s history.

This year’s conference will focus on how you can harness the huge moneymaking potential of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Better known as the “stimulus plan,” ARRA is an unparalleled opportunity to build your business, no matter what business you’re in. But you simply cannot put this on the back burner. You must act now.

The Fall Conference is your chance to:

• Get an action plan for winning ARRA contracts in 60 days (or less)
• Hear from B2G experts on how to get stimulus contracts at the state and local level
• Meet one-on-one with B2G Institute mentors & instructors
• Find out how your company can become a preferred provider of products and services
• And much more

 Once you’ve shown you can do the job, government Contracting Officers will be far more likely to choose your company for future contracts. We all like to deal with businesspeople we know and trust. The government is no different.

If you became a trusted vendor, millions of dollars in business could be directed to your company.

 One contract is all it takes to get the ball rolling. And that contract can be yours in 60 days.

Early bird Conference registration ends September 15, 2009. Take advantage. Saving money is good. But more importantly… making money is better. In fact, making money is the No. 1 reason you should register now to attend the B2G Fall 2009 National Conference in Los Angeles.

Be here. Or miss the opportunity of a lifetime. Register now for the B2G Fall 2009 National Conference. 2 DAYS: just $399 for non-members.

The only Conference that gives you the game plan for getting stimulus contracts in 60 days. Visit www.B2GConference.com for more information about the event.

Just Announced!

Pamela Smith-Cressel, director, Office of Small Business Utilization, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will speak at the B2G Fall 2009 National Conference on How to Obtain a GSA Multiple Award Schedule.

 Federal, state, and local governments use the GSA to get the best price on countless products and services. The GSA purchases billions of dollars worth of goods every year and could be your company’s biggest window of opportunity for doing regular business with the government.

 Pamela is a highly respected advocate for all small businesses. In her must-see presentation, she will outline how your company can qualify for and obtain a GSA Multiple Award Schedule, which is your essential passport to doing business with the GSA.

Visit www.B2GConference.com for more information about the B2G Fall 2009 National Conference.

According to a recent Federal Registrar article, the government is developing a database to track federal contractor performance.  

 According to the Proposed Rule, current federal contractors with more  than $10 million in current grants or contracts will have to submit data on any criminal, civil or administrative proceedings against them dating back three years. The rule projects that each year about 5,000 contractors will file reports.

 Federal contracting officers will be required to review the database prior to making award decisions for all new contracts worth more than $500,000, the proposed rule stated.

 If contracting officers determine that an “otherwise successful offeror is not a responsible source due to lack of satisfactory performance record or satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics,” then they must include such information in the system.

 “The database will be private and only federal officials will have access. Contractors will be able to view information about themselves, and post comments in response to information that has been included by the government”, the proposal said.

 According to David Drabkin, GSA’s deputy associate administrator for acquisition policy, “GSA expects to award a contract by the end of September that will implement a new way for the agency to manage and possibly merge the nine separate acquisition-related databases that make up its Integrated Acquisition Environment.”

 For more information, check out the proposed rule.

According to officials from the General Services Administration and Transportation Department,  stimulus contract bids are 10 percent below what projects were estimated to cost, on average.

 Joel Szabat, deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy and co-chairman of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery team, said for the first month and a half after the stimulus’ enactment, the agency received bids 20 percent to 40 percent below engineers’ estimates.  Recently, those bids have settled down to around 15 percent below estimates, according to a Government Executive article.

 ”As taxpayers, you should be very happy with that, because we are stretching the dollars to get more work done while we succeed in our main job, which is to create jobs,” Szabat said.

 On July 9, Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, instructed governors to ensure money made available by low bids should be redirected to projects in economically distressed areas, in keeping with congressional requirements, Szabat said.

 While Transportation has not identified exactly why bids are coming in so low, but Szabat believes it’s one side effect of the recession. “Anecdotally, we have a strong belief it’s because of the very high unemployment rate in the construction fields … in parts of the country it can be as high as 19 percent or 20 percent,” Szabat said. “There’s clearly a huge underutilized and easy-to-mobilize group of folks out there.”

Some contractors he’s spoken with have been bidding at cost just to “get mobilized again,” he said. These contractors intend to bid closer to agency estimates as they’re able to get people back to work.

According to a recent Federal Times article, the Defense Department and General Services Administration are taking steps to hire more acquisition professionals.

 “GSA is drafting an acquisition workforce plan to guide recruitment, retention and training,” said David Drabkin, acting chief acquisition officer. “In addition, because of workforce shortages, younger employees are advancing quickly through the ranks, aiding retention,” he said.

DOD plans, next year, to “begin hiring 20,000 new acquisition employees to fill gaps in program management, engineering, cost analysis, contract administration and other short-staffed acquisition areas,” said Shay Assad, the department’s procurement policy director.  “Many positions will be filled by interns, but retaining them will be a challenge,” Assad said.

Are you a business interested in doing business with Africa?

The U.S. Commercial Service  has created a “one-stop-shop” portal just for businesses interested in trade opportunities with most African markets.

 Portal features include:

-Market research

-Up-to-date trade leads

 -Updated trade event announcements 

 -Specific business opportunities