# Presentation: 180017

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE

**BUILDING EFFECTIVE**
** ****RELATIONSHIPS**
**WITH YOUR **
**CONTRACTING OFFICERS**

**Dawn Alexander**
**NASA**

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

-   **My Background –**
-  	Began working in Federal Service in 1978
-   	Contracts Specialist from 1990 – 1995
-   	Contracting Officer from 1995 – 2004
-    	Team Lead from 2005 to present
-   	Currently Supporting an Agency-wide Acquisition for
- 	the NASA Protective Services:
-        _http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=124906_

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

-    **Pre-Contract Award Relationships –**
-   Federal Business Opportunities**: **Single Government point-of-entry for
-       Federal Government Procurement Opportunities:  _www.FedBizOpps.gov_
-   NASA Opportunities:  _www.nasa.gov/audience/forindustry/procurement/_
-   NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS)
-   Search Feature allows you to type in List of Contractors
-   Acquisition Forecasts with points of contact
-   Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests:
-    _[www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/FOIA/agency/](http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/FOIA/agency/)_
-    (NASA generally posts existing contracts on their Acquisition Websites}

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

-     **Pre-Contract Award Relationships (Cont.)**
**   ****Participate in Market Research - **Collecting and analyzing
- 	information pertaining to companies’ capabilities, established
- 	practices, size, etc., used in Government’s development of
- 	acquisition strategy.
-   Central Contractor Registration (CCR):  _[www.ccr.gov/](http://www.ccr.gov/)_ - Ensure
- you are registered -- the Government uses this system as one of
- our tools in conducting market research.
-   Requests for Information (RFI) - Be sure to assess your firm’s
- capabilities in light of the potential solicitation before sending in any
- requested information such as capabilities statements and provide
- more than just a one-liner in response to RFI requests.

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

-     **Pre-Contract Award Relationships (Cont.)**
**   ****Provide Early Feedback –**
-   Synopsis and Procurement Strategies
-   Draft Statements of Work

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

**   ****Pre-Contract Award Relationships (Cont.)**
** ****	**Look closely at the Government Synopses/Solicitations for
- additional opportunities to communicate with the Government
- and the Contracting Officer.
-   Ask to be put on any “Interested Parties Lists”
-   One-on-One Meetings with the Government (CO & Technical)
-   Industry Day and pre-registration
-   Pre-proposal Conferences and pre-registration
-   Site Visits and pre-registration
-   Note:  Procurement teams will tell you if they can’t answer
- the question, but if you don’t ask you have already assumed it
- can’t be answered.

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

**   ****Pre- and Post-Contract Award Relationships **
** ****	**Written Communications
-   Clear/Concise
-   Avoid 1 liners if possible
-   Respond to all of the Instructions
-   Do Spell Checks
-   Note:  Written communications and proposal materials may be making your first impression to the Government and the Contracting Officer – Make it a good impression.

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

-   **Pre- and Post-Contract Award Relationships (Cont.)**
-   DO YOUR HOMEWORK ...........KNOW YOUR STUFF
-   The Contracting Officer will attempt to answer all questions and requests received, as appropriate; however, it really helps when industry has reviewed and read all Government correspondence, regulations, requests for information, solicitations, etc., prior to submitting questions.

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

-   **Post-Contract Award Relationships**
-   Post – Award Conferences –
-   Bring in your team to meet and greet
-   To ask questions and get answers
-   To build the foundation of the contracting relationship
-   Phase-in
-   Let us talk
-   Let us meet
-   Let us communicate

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

-   **Post-Contract Award Relationships** -
-   IT TAKES A TEAM TO SUCCEED
-   Be proactive – Bad news doesn’t get better with time.
-   Share ideas and offer suggestions for innovations, efficiencies, and cost savings.
-   Resolve issues together.
-   Negotiate using “win-win” attitude and encourage your Government counterparts to do the same.
-   Don’t hang your hat on the small stuff.
-   Be honest / build trust.
-   Be on time to meetings and with deliverables.

## BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPSWITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS

-   **Post-Contract Award Relationships** -
-   TALK TO ME
-   Keep Contracting Officer abreast of all contractual issues.
-   Encourage daily, weekly, monthly tag-ups.