Pre-bid conference for Bus Shelter Improvement contract scheduled for Jan. 11
December 29, 2011 by cs
Local general contractors, especially small businesses, are encouraged to attend a Jan. 11, 2012 pre-bid conference being held to discuss an upcoming bid opportunity for bus shelter improvements at approximately seven (7) sites throughout the City of Albany.
The pre-bid conference will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Jan. 11th in Suite 260 of the City’s Procurement Office, located at 222 Pine Avenue, Albany , GA 31701. All parties interested in learning more about this bid opportunity, including possible subcontracting opportunities, are encouraged to attend.
Work to be performed under this contract includes clearing, grubbing, flat concrete work, shelter relocation, and related work.
Sealed bids for this work will be accepted until 2:30 p.m. on January 19, 2012.
More details on this upcoming opportunity may be found by clicking on this link: Bus Shelter Improvements – Bid Reference No. 12-037.
Plan to attend our double-header on Sept. 7th!
September 1, 2011 by ei2admin
Albany-Dougherty area businesses can attend a double-header on Wednesday, Sept. 9th!
This double-header isn’t about baseball. But if you want to learn the most important steps to take to win a government contract and the most important section of a government bid document, our double-header is the place to be.
From 10 until 11 a.m., you can attend our class entitled “Fundamentals of Working with the Government.” This class is for newcomers to the government contracting arena — or for anyone who needs a refresher on the actions you should take and the things you need to have in place in order to effectively compete for government contracts.
Then, from 11 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., you can attend another terrific class – “Preparing Successful Bids and Proposals.” This class is perfect for anyone who is looking for tips and instruction on how to prepare a bid or proposal to a government agency. Special instructions will be given on bidding on City of Albany and Dougherty County contracts. Details about state and federal contracts will be covered, too.
To register for “Fundamentals of Working with the Government,” click here: http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/ConferenceDetail.action?ID=6844
To register for “Preparing Successful Bids and Proposals,” click here: http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/ConferenceDetail.action?ID=6849
PLEASE PRE-REGISTER because we will be serving a light lunch and we need to have an accurate count in advance of these classes. Both classes and the lunch are absolutely free.
If you need help with registration, please call Bridget Bennett, our Albany office coordinator, at (229) 317-4707.
On Mar. 9th, learn how to prepare a bid
March 7, 2011 by ei2admin
At noon on Wednesday, Mar. 9th, Georgia Tech is conducting a special briefing designed to help companies understand the bid proposal preparation process when responding to government solicitations.
This two-hour briefing, beginning at noon and concluding at 2:00 p.m., will be held in the 1st floor conference room at the Microbusiness Enterprise Center, located at 230 S. Jackson St., Albany, GA 31701-2885.
To pre-register to attend this no-cost class, please go to http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/ConferenceDetail.action?ID=6846 and click on the “Sign Up” button.
Topics to be covered include: preparation for bidding, identifying the bid package, reading the solicitation, technical proposal development insights, developing your bid price/cost proposal, and more.
This class will provide special instruction for Albany-area small businesses interested in doing business with the City of Albany as well as other units of government. All businesses are welcome to attend.
“Speed Dating” for businesses is theme for Albany event
February 16, 2011 by ei2admin
How would you like to have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a buyer in charge of purchasing for the State of Georgia?
How about the chance to meet with someone in charge of contracting from the University System of Georgia?
In addition, would you like to have the chance to describe your business capabilities to contracting representatives representing the City of Albany, the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, the Georgia Dept. of Corrections, the City of Albany, the Marine Corps Command, the IRS, the General Services Administration, and the federal departments of Commerce, Interior, and Juvenile Justice?
Well, you can have a chance to meet with all of these people by attending the “Albany Small Business Program Speed Partnering” event on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm at the Albany Civic Center.
The event is free, but pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Simply click here to register and then hit the “Sign Up” button.
Along with 15-minute one-on-one meetings with buyers and contracting officials, attendees will have a chance to attend briefings on each of these topics:
- Business Communications, Elevator Pitches and Capability Statements
- Reading and Responding to Bid Solicitations
- The Do’s and Don’ts of Government Contracting
- Government Market Research
- SBA’s New Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification Program
The featured luncheon speaker for this very special day is Ms. Pat Hanes, Regional Director of the Atlanta National Enterprise Center with the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. She will be talking about what it takes to successfully sell within both the government and commercial sectors.
Feb. 22 event at Albany Civic Center is not to be missed!
February 15, 2011 by ei2admin
Ever heard of “speed dating” where couples are matched for short periods of time to see if the chemistry is right?
Well, through a unique event on February 22, the same principle is being applied – except it involves matches between local businesses, government agncies, and prime contractors.
If you want the opportunity to meet with buyers from local, state and federal agencies, you can’t afford to miss this event!
On Tuesday, February 22nd, the Albany Civic Center is the place to put your best marketing techniques to work. You’ll get a chance to meet with — and present your capabilities to — decision-makers and buyers from representatives of local, state, and federal government agencies, including the City of Albany, the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, the University System of Georgia, the state’s Dept. of Administrative Services, the Georgia Dept. of Corrections, the Albany Marine Corps Logistics Command, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, the General Services Administration, and the Dept. of Juvenile Justice — and more!
Lunch will be provided, and featured speakers also will present on topics including Business Communications, Bid Preparations, Conducting Market Research, and the Do’s and Don’ts of Government Contracting.
This event also will provide special instruction for Albany-area small businesses interested in doing business with the City of Albany.
Coffee and informal networking begins at 8:00 am. The day’s program begins at 9:00 am and runs until 3:00 pm.
This event is completely free, so register now! Simply click here to register and then hit the “Sign Up” button.
Find Davis-Bacon in federally-funded construction contracts, not in a supermarket
October 5, 2010 by ei2admin
There is hickory bacon. There is turkey bacon. And then there is Davis Bacon.
The first two can be found in the meat department of your local supermarket.
The last one — Davis Bacon — is found in federally-funded construction contracts. If you’re bidding on a federal contract or subcontract, you’d better educate yourself about this requirement.
The federal Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) applies minimum prevailing wage classifications for all federally-funded or assisted construction projects. The U.S. Department of Labor creates wage classifications by the type of project for a specific type of worker. (Although not the case in Georgia, also be aware of the fact that some state governments have adopted “little DBAs” requiring prevailing wages on state funded works.)
The worker classifications are crafted with broad job scopes, in order to be over-inclusive. These classifications have drawn the ire of many private construction firms, who complain about what they consider over-payment for non-specialized labor (i.e., paying a wire runner as a journeyman electrician). So, as many favor the DBA’s heavy wages – it can be crippling to an unprepared private firm’s profit margin.
To prepare, a construction professional must read and absorb the federal wage classifications that apply on their project – before bidding. Wage classifications are prepared by state and by project, and are included in all federally-funded construction work.
If you are bidding a contract in the State of Georgia, you’ll need to check out the Georgia classifications. For example, if you were building a non-residential structure, such as a government building, in Bibb County, you can see the applicable wage rates here.
If your Bibb County bid needs to include ironworkers to install your structural steel, you would need to bid them per hour at $24.04, plus $9.86 in fringe benefits (insurance, fringe, or even cash). There are no real boundaries here – if a worker is involved in structural steel work, that worker is to be paid as an ironworker. If a contractor does not plan for this broad application, you’ll be facing penalties that are spelled-out under the Wage & Hour Act or Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. The penalties are stiff, providing for up to two times the amount of the unpaid or underpaid wages, plus interest.
The lesson here? Like with all things involving government contracting, do your homework before jumping in with both feet. To obtain assistance, check with a representative of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) nearest you. With proper preparation, you’ll be able to bid correctly, win a contract or subcontract, and then be able to bring home the real bacon.
© 2010 Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center – All Rights Reserved.