What sectors are likely to see the 2021 stimulus package through the infrastructure plan?
State and city governments have been hit hard by the pandemic at every turn. Almost every type of project from construction, technology, security, insurance, cleaning, and beyond is going to see some injection of federal aid or funding. We can anticipate the 2021 infrastructure bill will also include green initiatives, as the current administration made it clear that climate change remains a priority. Money will flow into various departments which will be used not only to cover operation costs over the last year but also for overall improvements.

Three things vendors should do

1. Identify a procurement platform that auto-sends bid notifications. One of the best ways to learn about new RFPs and find more is through an eBidding platform. eBidding is the process through which government agencies post their RFPs online, and receive vendor bids through the eBidding portal. Making the process digital the exchange between government procurement agent and the vendor easier, keeping both parties in direct communication. If they haven’t already, vendors should create eBidding accounts and sign up for notifications of projects that match their business goods and services. That way they’ll receive alerts right to their inbox for every opportunity.

2. Extend your network. Vendors should also continue to network whenever possible. It might be hard during the pandemic to stop by your favorite procurement agent’s office, but you can still participate in virtual networking. See which projects your existing partners are working on and send follow-up emails or connect. With DemandStar, you’re able to track government projects at the county, state, and national level in order to share work with your community and assist anyway you can.  Staying digitally connected to your government procurement contacts keeps you top of mind as funds from the infrastructure plan are distributed.

3. Compete strategically with more information. Finally, vendors should use all tools at their disposal to learn about the competitive landscape. Look for an eBidding platform that offers competitive information. With DemandStar, vendors can see which other businesses have reviewed or bid on various projects. This information can help you investigate and develop the most competitive bid, and gives you a leg up for finding less competitive jobs.

Get ahead
The 2021 stimulus package is coming and if you want to be ready, you need to start preparing now. That means identifying potential partners and allies, building relationships with them, and extending your network. It also means looking into procurement platforms, like DemandStar, that will automatically send bid notifications so you can compete strategically with more information. By starting now, you’ll be ahead of the competition when the time comes for government contracts.

The post What the 2021 Infrastructure Plan Means for Government Vendors appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

You are in luck; I have had the good fortune of working with procurement strategy from California to Florida and have listened to the conversations being discussed right now by procurement teams that are sure to continue for the rest of the year.  Yes, many are still talking cooperative purchasing and how to write a good RFP, but there is a lot more going on, and here are the 4 other topics whose reverberation is getting louder and louder.    

Work From Home

Over the past couple of years, studies and evidence have mounted showing that work from home (WFH) or hybrid remote work has shown levels of productivity equal to or greater than office-only work culture.  Studies from Stanford University and Bloomberg also share that having a culture of remote work improves employee health, boosts employee retention, and increases work-life balance yet governments have been slower than the private sector to adopt this idea.  That is until the pandemic, where government organizations were forced to jump into the deep end of the pool on working from home.  Most governments were unprepared, as many government procurement strategies were to still use desktop computers instead of laptops, using desk phones instead of softphones apps, having only booked physical conference room spaces to have meetings, and having never used Zoom.  This caused some initial heartache as procurement staff reported using their cells phone from home to call suppliers, scrambling with IT departments to set up remote logins, and quickly buying the basic versions of zoom, Slack, and Microsoft teams.  What was learned from there was that it didn’t take long for a government organization to catch on to the efficiency and benefits the private sector was experiencing with work from home.  Within a month government was running finance meetings, logging hours, doing payroll, CIP, and budget meetings, and judges embracing court hearings and cases through video conferencing. 

Prior to the pandemic, only 3% of government employees were working remotely and at the peak of the pandemic, nearly 60% of government employees were working remotely during some portion of their workweek.  With many states on the road to fully reopening what will be the new norm and standard for government purchasing departments?

We know some procurement strategy was to go all-in as soon as they had to close their doors to the public, getting staff laptops, video conference licenses, and setting up infrastructure, policies, and workflows that allowed them to keep on procuring goods and services that allowed their communities to operate smoothly even during the pandemic.  For these governments do leaders simply tell everyone to come back to pre-pandemic schedules, in the office from 9-5 Monday through Friday, and if you’re not in the office you need to use PTO? Or do leaders put in place a hybrid work schedule where staff has the option to choose remote workdays?

We also saw other procurement teams hold back on investing in tools to help staff work from home during the pandemic, instead of putting in place band-aid policies like having staff fill out forms estimating hours they used their cell phone for work calls and reimbursing them, scheduling hours for each individual to come in the office during the week to make copies of the forms they needed to use or pausing procurement altogether.  These teams did their best during the pandemic without investing in the suite of tools available for working from home and it looks like most are now fully back in the office.  But what happens if another scenario occurs where we are required to work from home again?  Can the staff manage those loose band-aid policies again and pause critical infrastructure projects that need to be done further?  And what does this do the employee retention and what will the total cost of losing a key staff member be due to the frustration?

Procurement teams are finding that the decisions being made on this topic are all over the spectrum. You’re even seeing neighboring procurement teams from two cities just miles apart have one; leaving their staff with the continued freedom to work from home while the second is required to be back in the office 100% of the time.  This is causing conversations at the real or metaphoric “water cooler” to last quite a bit longer.  

Being seen as heroes

Remember the days when the only news the public ever heard about government procurement news was when there was bad news.  When a project didn’t finish on time when a project went over budget or there was an accounting error.  I can’t lie and say those days are gone and behind us but there sure seems to be a new sense of appreciation from the public for those working in government procurement.  Last year there were tons of comments on social media pages from parents who flocked outdoors to park and trails during the pandemic thanking parks and rec’s department for keeping their parks clean, nurses thankful to government buyers who were able to find a supplier to deliver face shields, and interviews with teachers who were glad to have new technologies to teach students.  This last year shined a light on how vital a procurement department is to keep a community operating smoothly.   Maybe this is the new trend, as it sure seems like the citizens of our communities are starting to see procurement folks as the unseen heroes behind all that is working as it should.  Whatever it is, is making those of us on the receiving end of these kind comments smile and we are all keeping our fingers crossed that this continues.  

The Biden Jobs Plan

The idea of a major infrastructure plan was presented in late March and since has been estimated to be as low as $500B and as high as $2.25T.   Whether the bill is signed through on the top or bottom of that scale remains to be seen but what seems certain is whatever goes through will have a major impact on local government procurement trends, as they will have to roll up their sleeves and fulfill the contracting of the goods, services, and products from commercial businesses.

The good news for communities is a signed infrastructure bill makes available funding that many communities have needed for years and being that so many of us in procurement are living within or near the communities we serve this is a welcome sight.  However, the challenge we face will be procuring goods that we have never had the opportunity to procure before, most of us have the suppliers to do the electric, lighting, and construction work but many of us just don’t have the supplier locally to source the products and solution that would reduce the carbon footprint, introduce electric charging station and innovative clean energy technologies that are being funding by this infrastructure plan.  And I’m not confident that the Tesla’s and ChargePoint’s of the world are reading our local newspaper waiting for us to put out an RFP as an ad.  So how will we get the suppliers? How will we get the innovative companies that provide these solutions to pay attention to our needs, and what happens when there is a limited supply of companies that can match these standards.  What will be the timelines to spend the infrastructure funds if we face these procurement challenges?  This is one of the things we have to watch out for as the infrastructure plan moves from an idea to a bill.    

The DBE Program Design To Address the Wealth Gap

The US government can greatly influence the distribution of wealth, being the largest consumer in the world of goods and services. In 1983 congress decided to pass the first DBE program, meant to help balance wealth across social, racial, and gender classes.  Most economists agree that a more equal distribution of wealth across society leads to more innovation, strengthened public health, higher social trust, and better-resourced communities.  

However, the intention of the program created to balance wealth distribution has not been achieved, and nearly 40 years later the Congressional Budget Office finds that the gap in the distribution of wealth is even larger than it was in 1983 and continues to grow wider every year.  

Various things have contributed to this, lack of tools for governments to do outreach to the DBE community, lack of transparency, skepticism about the “good faith efforts”. What might be the biggest reason for this program to fall short of what it set out to do was that it was designed with the procurement processes of 1983 and is still being used in 2021 without updates to match the times. Asking procurement teams to solve and address contracting challenges of 2021 with procurement policies of 1983 feels like a near-impossible task.  

As the spotlight shines brighter on the wealth gap in the US and the current administration looks at how to solve this challenge as the biggest influencer in the distribution of wealth it’ll be interesting to see how soon an update is made.  Imagine if we all were still using computers built in 1983 to do our jobs of today, it would be way too slow and software too outdated to do accomplish tasks.  That is what it must be like for procurement teams, we are asking them to address procurement trends of 2021 with procurement rules, processes, and standards of 1983.  

The last year and what appears to be ahead of us have added elements that are changing the conversations being had in government procurement departments.  Will, there be 4 songs played on repeat for years or will we be constantly switching the tune?   

The post 4 Topics Procurement Teams Will Be Discussing in the 2nd Half of 2021 appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

The Infrastructure Bill and Telecom

While you may not think of telecommunications (telecom) as part of the infrastructure, it is being included in Biden’s $2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill. Telecom commonly refers to sending large amounts of information via electronic means. In this case, it specifically refers to broadband internet access.  

What’s going on with U.S. broadband now?
High-speed internet access in the U.S. can be tricky business for consumers. We have high costs with little competition. In fact, the internet here often costs more than in other developed nations, and access is often limited by income or location. There are many underserved rural areas that simply don’t have the broadband infrastructure they need to deliver high-speed internet to residents. It’s estimated that over 30 million Americans don’t have high-speed internet access because of the area they live in or because of cost. This was brought further into focus with the pandemic, as many workers had to move to work from their homes and students had to be able to connect to online education systems. 

What does the bill do?
Biden’s Infrastructure Bill aims to address these concerns with a plan to invest $100 billion in telecom access. These funds would go to installing the necessary equipment in rural areas to deliver access to broadband. Additionally, the bill sets forth parameters to allow more competition from municipally owned/affiliated broadband providers and co-ops. The idea is to not only expand access but to make the service more affordable. 

What does this mean for suppliers?
Procurement in telecommunication has a lot of opportunities, and vendors need to stay on top of this portion of the bill. It’s not just providers like Cox and Spectrum that might benefit. Municipal providers could be strengthened, and cities or counties that will be able to take advantage of the $100 billion to expand their access will need a host of services including planning, engineering, materials suppliers, construction crews, electrical crews, and more. 

So, what should your telecom procurement strategy be? If your services can be applied to broadband, it’s time to research that now. Any needed certifications should be started or renewed asap so that you’re ready to hit the ground running once the funds are released to cities. It would also be a good idea to research your area and surrounding areas to see where those dollars might land. If you’re just outside of a rural zone that doesn’t have broadband, chances are that the procurement department will get some of these funds. Consider reaching out to the agent in advance to introduce yourself and your services. 

One last step
If you haven’t created an account on an e-bidding platform like DemandStar, you’ll want to do that as well. This will ensure that procurement agents can easily find you, and you can set up your account to send notifications of RFPs that fit your services via email notifications. 

Would your services fit the telecom aspect of the Infrastructure Bill? How did you plan on getting a piece of that business?

The post The Infrastructure Bill and Telecom Procurement Opportunities appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

As President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill continues to work its way through the approval process, government procurement agents are also ramping up to find vendors and suppliers to fulfill the coming wave of spending. Right now, there is a potential $2 trillion coming available, so suppliers should be preparing to not only bid on projects but make sure they stand out among the many vendors who will be applying for the same government projects. 

Various government procurement departments may have supplier diversity programs, which set goals to support underrepresented groups by allocating a percentage of suppliers with diverse backgrounds that the department wants to hire. For a company to qualify for a diversity classification, the general rule is that 51 percent of the company is owned and operated by a member(s) of an underrepresented group. In order to qualify, vendors will need to become certified in their specific diversity classification, including for the 8(a) Business Development Program.  

What is the 8(a)Certification Business Development Program?
This program is offered through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and aids companies owned and controlled by socially or economically disadvantaged individuals. The government limits competition for specific contracts so that those with this certification have a better chance of securing government work. In addition to this reduced competition, other program benefits posted by the SBA include being assigned a Business Opportunity Specialist to help each owner with government contracts, the ability to form joint ventures with established government contractors through the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program, and receiving other guidance including business training, counseling, marketing assistance, and executive development.   

How do you qualify for the 8(a) Business Development Program?
This is a certification program, so all businesses must apply and qualify to claim the 8(a) status and receive program benefits. 8(a) certification checklists on the program webpage include: 

• Be a small business 
• Have not previously received 8(a) certification benefits 
• Be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. citizens who are socially and economically disadvantaged
• Have a personal net worth of no more than $750K, an adjusted gross income of $350K or less and $6 million or less in assets
• Demonstrate good character and show the potential to be able to successfully complete awarded contracts

How to apply for the 8(a) certification
As previously mentioned, to participate in the program, take advantage of all benefits, and be able to list the certification on your upcoming bids, companies that think they qualify must apply and be approved through the program. In order to apply, business owners will need to create a SAM account and then apply through the SBA’s certification website. This process can take some time, so it’s best to start right away to make sure you can be approved before any Infrastructure funding starts being distributed. You can check out Certify Knowledge Base for tips and tricks, and once your certification is accepted it will last for up to nine years with successful annual reviews.   

Have you investigated if your business qualifies for the 8(a) Business Development Program? How will you make sure your certifications are in order before any Infrastructure Bill spend is approved?

The post Benefits of 8(a) Business Development Program for Supplier Diversity appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

How exactly will venture capital firms funding be included and what does this mean for businesses?
Here’s an excerpt from The American Jobs Plan Fact Sheet put out by the White House:

“ President Biden is calling on Congress to invest $31 billion in programs that give small businesses access to credit, venture capital, and R&D dollars. The proposal includes funding for community-based small business incubators and innovation hubs to support the growth of entrepreneurship in communities of color and underserved communities.”

The goal of this funding is to re-invest in the American manufacturing industry by creating a “national network of small business incubators and innovation hubs.” Although the bill has yet to pass, this formal statement makes it clear that the small business economy in the U.S.is key to the success of this plan.

What does this mean for small- and medium-sized businesses?
Our country requires significant investment to maintain and improve infrastructure. Increasing funding for businesses helps keep the necessary services alive. Now that so much of our infrastructure has or will have connectivity capabilities, we need to make sure that we’re funding innovative ideas to propel us forward. These innovations often come from small- to medium-sized startups. The plan aims to make sure that the ideas that can fuel the future of the nation and keep us competitive on the world stage are found and funded. However, funding these types of projects can be costly, so having funding available through government incubators and hubs could provide the needed resources for some of the most high-tech solutions. 

How do VC funding and technology advancements fit into infrastructure?
Typical infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges are just a few of the projects proposed within the bill. Consider your drive to work or the grocery store. It’s not just the asphalt that plays a major role in creating the road you’re on. There are sensors placed into the ground at intersections, lights are connected to optimize flow and there are even some cameras. When repairing or building new roads, we need pavement of course, but we also need lighting, equipment, security to protect the equipment overnight, and cleaning services to remove debris when the project concludes. Transportation, clean energy, building materials, and internet connectivity are all key infrastructure components to keeping our cities and towns vibrant and productive.

Innovative ventures
As we await details about how the funding will be dispersed, this portion of the bill is a bright spot for small- and medium-sized businesses looking to take their ideas to the next level. Are you wondering how you can position yourself to be a recipient of VC funding as a government vendor? Add yourself to our newsletter so that you can stay in the know.

If you’d like to learn more about the bill, and how it will affect your business, check out this webinar with DemandStar’s own Steve Tran answering questions including about VC funding.  

The post How the Infrastructure Bill Will Affect VC Funding for Businesses appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

Biden’s Infrastructure Bill and Solar and Other Renewable Energy Sources

Biden has made it clear that a focus of the new Infrastructure Bill will be to support solar and other renewable energy sources. The idea is to update America’s power infrastructure while at the same time addressing climate concerns. 

What is included in the plan?
There are a few ways in which solar and other renewable energy sources have been included in the plan. With solar, the bill would provide a 10-year extension and phasing of both the investment and solar tax credits provided for clean energy generation and storage. Additionally, it proposes $100 billion to “reenergize America’s power infrastructure.” This means that we would phase out oil and gas, plug up those facilities and clean up abandoned mines, and retrofit or build facilities capable of carbon capture. We would replace the energy those facilities generate by expanding our solar and wind energy efforts. Another facet would be to address our aging power grids and to ensure that they can withstand severe weather and climate events. 

How does this translate to jobs?
It’s estimated that around 1 to 1.2 million jobs per year will be created from the bill. On the manufacturing end, this could also mean the creation of 6.9 million factories, construction, and transportation sector jobs. The idea is to not only upgrade and update our power system but to become a leading manufacturer of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle technologies. At the beginning stages, procurement agents will be looking for construction help to retrofit old buildings to be more energy-efficient. They might also need to install solar panel systems to generate and store energy. Any new facility being constructed will also need these types of installations.  

Are you a solar panel distributor?
It’s time to shine! There will be a lot of projects coming up for the installation of solar panels. Also, because of the solar tax credits, it won’t be just from government agencies, but private companies might be looking to invest in solar power as well. Make sure you have access to the most updated technology, and that you can provide a wide array of systems for various sizes of buildings. Any certifications that need to be added or renewed should be taken care of now. Finally, if you want to be connected to procurement departments across America and be notified when RFPs are posted, you should consider creating an account on an e-bidding platform like DemandStar. It’s a good idea to set this up early so that you can become familiar with the platform and start establishing relationships before any funding is distributed. 

Spending on Solar
Solar and other renewable energy sources will be a large part of the upcoming bill. As the goal is to lean into these sources to not only help update the U.S. power grid but to address climate change, renewable energy source vendors like solar suppliers should be staying up to date on new developments surrounding the Infrastructure Bill.

Are you a solar panel distributor? What steps will you be taking to ensure you get a piece of the $100 billion proposed spend?

The post The Infrastructure Bill and Solar and Other Renewable Energy Sources appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

What’s in the bill?
While the bill is still in the works and a final spend total hasn’t been decided, it’s fair to guess that the main areas of spending will likely stay the same even if amounts change. According to The Washington Post, infrastructure spending is “expected to include $400 billion in spending to combat climate change, including $60 billion for infrastructure related to green transit and $46 billion for climate-related research and development. The plan also would aim to make electric-vehicle charging stations available across the country. The measure would also include $200 billion for housing infrastructure, including $100 billion to expand the supply of housing for low-income Americans.” This means that government contractors that focus on solar power, transit, engineering, green power, housing development and construction, and raw materials providers all need to be paying attention and preparing to develop bids.

Stay competitive with eBidding
Government vendors that want to get in on this massive spending can stay competitive with eBidding. Here are some features offered by eBidding platforms like DemandStar that can help:

RFP instant notifications – Once you set up your profile, you can opt to get emails sent directly to you that notify you of RFPs that fit your services. No more hunting for work, the opportunities get sent to you. 

Connect with government agents outside your area – If you’re a materials supplier or provide other services that don’t necessarily require that you’re on-site, you can use eBidding to connect with government agents across America, not just in your county or state. 

Reply online – All the forms and documents that need to be returned are all in one, easy-to-navigate spot. Also, since the documents are digital, you can look through your previous bids to select one that’s close to the job you want and update it to fit the new RFP. 

Competitive intelligence – See which other vendors have downloaded the bid documents and submitted a bid. If you know your competition, you can put your best foot forward.

Bulk supplemental supplier upload – This is perfect for small businesses or those new to government contracts. You can see which general contractors have received big projects, and then apply to them as a subcontractor. 

Get started now
If you’re looking to nab some of that $2 trillion new infrastructure bill, you’ll want to start prepping now. Even though the bill isn’t finalized, government contractors will need to be ready to go once that does happen. By creating an online eBidding profile for your business in advance, you can get acclimated to the online marketplace and be prepared to receive notifications and bid on projects right away. 

Are you already a vendor on DemandStar? How will you use the online marketplace to connect with government agents with new infrastructure bill dollars to spend?

The post Preparing to Bid in Advance of the Enormous Infrastructure Bill appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

What Procurement Agents Can do to Prepare for the Infrastructure Bill

Chances are if you’re a procurement agent you’ve already heard about the giant infrastructure bill that’s making its way through the federal government. You also know that this large of a bill only comes along once every 10-15 years, and that making sure your department can make the most of the funds you get will be of utmost importance. With $2 trillion potentially coming down the pipe, government agents will need to be optimizing e-bidding platforms to connect with the best vendors for each project.

What’s in the infrastructure bill?
The bill is still in the works, but we have an idea of what the infrastructure bill may include. According to The Washington Post, the infrastructure package is “expected to include $400 billion in spending to combat climate change, including $60 billion for infrastructure related to green transit and $46 billion for climate-related research and development. The plan aims to make electric-vehicle charging stations available across the country. The measure also would include $200 billion for housing infrastructure, including $100 billion to expand the supply of housing for low-income Americans.” This means that if you’re a procurement agent working for the highway authority, state and local infrastructure departments, water districts, and more, you’ll want to not only keep an eye for what types of funding may be coming, but also connect with vendors and service providers who can help you make the most of the funds you receive.  

Connect with the best vendors through e-bidding
Government procurement agents will want to connect with as many vendors as possible to ensure that they are hiring vendors who provide them with the highest quality work at the most competitive pricing. Here are some features offered by e-bidding platforms like DemandStar that can help:

Online RFPs – You may need to create more than one RFP depending on the type of funding you receive. By having your RFPs online, you can pull the basics from a previous RFP and only update the specifics of the new project. Also, digital is easier for vendors as well, especially if they’ve signed up for notifications. This will ensure you reach a wider range of vendors to get the most options. 

Connect with vendors outside your area – E-bidding is a fantastic way to connect with vendors across your state and even across America. Not every job requires the vendor to be local, so expanding your search area may help you find the right fit.   

An algorithm to help – Vendors are also gearing up for these upcoming funds, so it makes sense that you might see even more bids coming through, and an algorithm can save procurement agents lots of time.  Government agents can select a variety of criteria including certification requirements or budget parameters and allow the system to only deliver those bids that meet the set standards.

Prepare in advance
As your department waits to learn how much of the $2 trillion infrastructure bill they might receive, it’s important to prepare for what’s coming. By creating an online e-bidding profile for your department in advance, you can establish your agency in the online marketplace and be prepared to connect with vendors once the budgets are approved. 

How will you use the online marketplace to connect with vendors once you have infrastructure dollars to spend?

The post What Procurement Agents Can do to Prepare for the Infrastructure Bill appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.