Column: Take Time for a Tune Up

by Tom Johnson, publisher, Set-Aside Alert

The end of the year is an excellent time to check up on your government contracting systems, reports and processes in federal databases. Here are some checks and updates you can perform now, before the start of a new year.

Confirm your NAICS Codes

Before you do anything else, go back over your NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes and confirm every one of them.

Review whether you have too many NAICS codes. If you’ve got disparate NAICS codes for too broad of a variety of industries, your listing may become suspect.

Confirm product/service codes

Next, do a similar check on your Product/Service Codes. These codes are frequently used by contracting personnel looking for prospective small business suppliers. The full list is at http://www.fpdsng.com/downloads/service_product_codes.pdf.

DSBS listing

To make changes in your listings in federal databases, we recommend starting with Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS).

Go to http://dsbs.sba.gov and search your company by name and by telephone number. Is your listing up to date? Have you included past contracts in the performance history section? Are your keywords comprehensive? Have you noted your professional and industry certifications?

Take note of all items that are missing or need updating. You will need to go to another website to actually make the corrections, which will be explained shortly. Address changes require additional actions, which also will be explained. But before you leave DSBS take a moment for the next step.

Compare with competitors

Compare your DSBS listing with those of a couple of your competitors. If a contracting specialist is looking for bidders, will you be included? Or does your company fade away against the competition? Consider improvements to your listing.

SAM.gov listing

Now that you have noted any information that needs to be updated and corrected in your DSBS listing, it is time to go to the System for Award Management (http://www.SAM.gov), which enables access to the editing functions of the dynamic small business database.

Check your SAM registration listing. Look for inaccurate data, old contact information, missing NAICS codes and other gaps. Make the necessary changes, and confirm at the end.

As you finish your updates on SAM.gov, you will have access to a link to your SBA Profile, which takes you to the editing functions for DSBS.

Edit your DSBS listing

Make the necessary updates to your DSBS listing, using the editing function. During your update of your DSBS listing, be sure to add certifications, keywords, past contracts, website URLs, email and export interests.

Address change

If your business has changed addresses, go to your Dun & Bradstreet DUNS number listing to make the appropriate changes at http://goo.gl/rjEvjC. Follow through a few days later to make sure the changes were passed on into SAM and DSBS.

Past performance

Review your Past Performance grades in CPARS (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting), PPIRS (Past Performance Information Retrieval System) and other sites.

You may need assistance from your contracting officer to get access to internal sites where your performance on past contracts has been graded.

Make sure you don’t have any unanswered negative comments. You may not be able to get negative comments removed, but you should be able to record your side of the story.

EEO-1 form

File your EEO-1 (Equal Employment Opportunity-1) form at http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/eeo1survey/. The EEO-1 report was due Sept. 30. Companies with more than 100 employees are required to file the report annually.

VETS-100

File your VETS-100 form with the Labor Department (https://vets100.dol.gov/vets100). Companies with federal contracts valued at $25,000 or more are required to file this form by Sept. 30 each year.

FBO.gov review

Review the process you use to monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website (FBO.gov). Have you set up regular searches? Are you covering all possible NAICS codes for your products/services? Are you searching by PSC codes as well as NAICS? Are you looking at all small business set-asides, not just special categories such as 8(a), HUBZone, or women-owned?

Training & networking

Have you budgeted time and resources to participate in national and local conferences, networking and training opportunities? Keep up to date with your industry and with government contracting rules, regulations, programs, legislation, technology and legal decisions.

Conclusion

December is often a slow month. The pace at which new solicitations are issued is at a low point. Use the opportunity to sharpen your processes and check to make sure your company is displayed at its best in the government databases.

Tom Johnson is the publisher of Set-Aside Alert and president of Business Research Services in Bethesda, MD. He can be reached via email at tjohnson@setasidealert.com .

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Column: Take Time for a Tune Up

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