Getting Started in Federal Contracting: A Guide Through the Federal Procurement Maze

Each year the Federal Government contracts for $500 billion worth of supplies and services from 650,000 contractors. To acquire all those supplies and services, the Federal Government and its contractors must comply with thousands of pages of regulations. Those regulations can be daunting for anyone: large businesses seeking to expand by entering the Federal market; employees new to Federal contracting; the Federal Government itself. Small businesses without dedicated staffs of contract experts find comprehending and complying with the Federal acquisition regulation particularly vexing. However, the rewards are great for those small businesses that master the “Federal procurement maze” – the Federal Government has set annual goals for awarding $100 billion in contracts to small businesses, $25 billion to women-owned businesses, $25 billion to minority-owned businesses, $15 billion to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and $15 billion to small businesses in areas of high unemployment. For more than 30 years, GETTING STARTED IN FEDERAL CONTRACTING has been the standard reference for government contract information, guidance, and advice. Now, with this revised and expanded sixth edition, contracting professionals have the help, knowledge, and information they need to maneuver through the Federal procurement maze skillfully and successfully: An explanation of the key officials and what they do How to locate contracting opportunities Special “set-aside” programs for different types of small businesses Small business subcontracting goals for large businesses “Micro-purchase” procedures for purchases under $3,500 ($5,000 for the Department of Defense) Simplified procedures for purchases under $150,000 Invitations for Bids (IFB) and Requests for Proposals (RFP) Reverse auctions Different types of fixed-price and cost-reimbursement contracts Indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts Federal Supply Schedules Selling commercial supplies and services Selling foreign products Unique procedures for architect-engineering and construction contracts Labor laws Protests against contract awards Contract administration Filing claims Integrity and ethics rules Records retention requirements In addition, GETTING STARTED IN FEDERAL CONTRACTING includes a ample solicitation, forms, examples, key websites, abbreviations, glossary, and a detailed index.

Barry L. McVay is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager and a former Department of Defense contracting officer with more than 40 years experience in federal production, service, and research and development contracts. During his employment with the Federal Government, Mr. McVay prepared, solicited, negotiated, awarded, and administered contracts worth millions of dollars. He prepared and executed Federal contracting policies and represented the Department of Housing and Urban Development on the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council, one of two Federal acquisition rulemaking bodies. As a private contract consultant to large and small businesses, Mr. McVay sought out Federal contracting opportunities for his clients, prepared proposals worth millions of dollars, provided advice and recommendations, and administered contracts. He has lectured on many aspects of the federal contracting process to government organizations, businesses, and educational institutions. He wrote Proposals That Win Federal Contract and has written many monographs, and magazine, newspaper, and professional journal articles on federal contracting issues. Mr. McVay graduated from the University of Virginia and has attended the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Defense Acquisition University, and the Federal Acquisition Institute. He is a member of the National Contract Management Association and the National Defense Industrial Association.