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Doing Business with the Government. Government Business. Federal Travel Regulations. Acquisition and Contracting. Resources. Government Business. Government Business. Government Business. Government Business. Government Business. Government Business. Government Business.
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Doing Business with the Government • Government Business • Federal Travel Regulations • Acquisition and Contracting • Resources
Federal Travel Regulations When is a government employee eligible for TDY Travel Expenses? When Travel is 50+ miles away from your office or home and requires absence for 12 or more hours.
Federal Travel Regulations When can you secure a higher rates? Securing increased per diem or conference lodging rates is difficult at best. A government meeting planner will not start off asking for a rate higher than per diem. If, after soliciting a program, it is determined that no one can offer per diem and the program cannot change dates or location, the government planner can use either increased per diem or conference lodging rate to justify the higher rate offered by a hotel. That is, they will use the program that your quoted rate fits into. Why is it important to know the parameters? If you are unable to offer per diem, you can use these two systems to calculate the best higher rate that your hotel will accept for the piece of business rather than turning the program down. These programs have been approved by the federal government for just these situations. A planner will have to get approval though to go above the stated per diem.
Federal Travel Regulations Funding Appropriated Funds – Monies given to a federal government agency by congress. Money is part of an agencies annual budget. Money is derived from tax dollars therefore there are restrictions on how this can be spent. Nonappropriated Funds – Monies that the federal government agency earns through their mission functions. Postal Service is an example of this type of fund. Since these funds do not come from taxpayer dollars, they are not governed by the same restrictions as appropriated funds Reception and Representation Funds – Usually referred to as representation funds. These funds represent an authorization to spend appropriated funds for entertainment, food and beverage, and other items. An agency cannot move appropriated funds into representation funds without prior approval.
Federal Travel Regulations Breaks and Light Refreshments In 2000, the FTR authorized agencies to provide light refreshments to agency employees attending an official conference. In 2003, Comptroller General of the US, head of GAO, determined that the “GSA did not have the authority to permit agencies to use appropriated funds to pay for employees food and refreshments except as part of an employees travel subsistence allowance.” In March 2005, GAO issued a decision to National Institutes of Health may pay for meals and light refreshments for all conference attendees, including federal employees, by satisfying the following criteria: • Meals and refreshments are incidental to the conference • Attendance at the meals and when refreshments are provided are important to ensure full participation. • The conference also includes training, discussions, speeches, etc. that occur at other times than meal functions.
Acquisition and Contracting • FAR • Acquisition Sizes • Technical Evaluations • Actual vs. Apparent Authority • Bidding a solicitation
Acquisition and Contracting FAR Acquisitions made by the executive branch using appropriated funds are generally controlled by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). The GSA has the responsibility for publishing the FAR and any updates to it. The Current FAR can be found at http://www.arnet.gov/far/ Contracting officers for each agency are required to have a completed copy of the FAR clauses for each award they make. In accordance with FAR, you must be registered on www.ccr.gov and be FEMA compliant (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/applications/hotel/) in order to be awarded a government contract.
Acquisition and Contracting Acquisition Sizes Micro Purchase – purchase of item up to $3,000 Small Purchase – purchase of item between $3,000 and $25,000 Simplified Acquisition – purchase of item between $25,000 and $100,000 • Requires acquisition planning by the planner Acquisition – purchase of an item over $100,000 • Requires legal and technical review Remember that in order for a contracting officer to sign a contract for any of these values, they must be warranted to that threshold. Most contracting officers are warranted up to $25,000. A contracting officer is the only person within the agencies that can sign a contract and obligate government funds.
Acquisition and Contracting Technical Evaluations There are two basic types of technical evaluation criteria used by a meeting planner: • Go/No Go or Accept/Reject – mandatory minimum requirements and may be specified as not to exceed minimums or maximums. (Per Diem, meeting space size, number of rooms) • Variable – relate to characteristics that are helpful in evaluating not only a qualified offer but also the best qualified offer by assessing the degree to which the necessary characteristics are possessed/offered by each entity. (past performance, restaurants/entertainment nearby, etc.) The above is critical to understand when reviewing a solicitation and planning a response. Most contracting officers will specify the evaluation criteria when designing their solicitation. Read carefully and design your response based upon this criteria to ensure you are rated exceptional! Remember: Until a contract is signed, funds are Committed. When a contract is signed and executed, the funds are Obligated.
Acquisition and Contracting Bidding a Solicitation Here are some key points to remember when bidding a solicitation: Never turn down due to not having per diem available. Review what rate you can offer and see if it will fit in one of the higher rate categories. Always state if you are proposing something alternate. Acknowledge the original information and that you are proposing something alternate whether it be rate, dates, or meeting set. Read the solicitation carefully. If a contracting officer lists their bid with CLINs (Contract Line Item Numbers) your bid should mirror their format. If the client specifies another response option, follow that. Do not wait until the last minute! Solicitations have due dates but it is better to get your bid in early to make sure it is received. Many large bids require multiple copies be sent via mail so make sure to check if this is the case. Standard mail to the government is still very slow so send via UPS or FedEx. Send all required documentation. An incomplete bid will be thrown out. Period. Send your best bid. There are no second chances! Send hotel information. Pictures and history on your hotel as well as unique features of your hotel paint a picture for the contracting officer. It may make the difference!
