Growing Your Company Through Strategic

Partnerships

Simone Sander & Benjamin Brosch

Utility Systems Solutions, Inc. (US2)

About US2

• 9 Years

• SBA Certified as 8A, Small Disadvantaged Business; VA Certified as an

SDVOSB and VOSB

• Over 150 federal projects performed

• 7 GSA schedules

• 8(a) Mentor protégé relationship with Schneider Electric

• 90% of US2’s project were performed in VA hospitals across the United States

TEAMING

JOINT VENTURE

“Prime Subcontractor”

Strategic Partnerships

FAR 9.601 Reads:

• “Contractor team arrangement,” as used in this subpart, means an arrangement in which two or more companies form a partnership or joint venture to act as a potential prime contractor

• A potential prime contractor agrees with one or more other companies to have them act as its Subcontractors under a specified Government contract or acquisition program.

What Types of Contractor Teams Does the FAR Recognize?

Only a JV Partner signs the 1442 - In all other situations, the Prime Contractor holds sole responsibility

for the contract and it’s terms and conditions.

Your partner could be in this room!

What Value Can the Right PartnerBring to Your

Company

What Type of Contracts Does YOUR Company Target?

• “Credit Card” Projects

• IFBs (Maintenance/Repair, Services or Products under $100,00)

• Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable

• Best Value

• GSA Schedules, IDIQs, BPAs, etc.Why are you

limiting yourself?

Evaluate their Resources for EACH Separate Opportunity!

• Office locations

• Services

• Bonding Capacity

• Relationships with your target client

• Experienced personnel to self-perform

• Proposal Writing/Estimating Resources

When/When Notto Involve Your Partners

• Best Value Solicitations

• Projects With Higher Bonding Capacity

• Project Location

• 8(a) Mentor Protégé Partners

• Exclusive?

Don’t Call YOUR COMPETITORS

if they don’t see value in

YOUR resources!

How Does Your Partner Fit Into Both the

Solicitation AND the Project?• When is a JV necessary?

• When Should I use a Teaming Agreement?

• How do I use the JV in the Technical Proposal?

• What portion of the work is performed by my

partner?

• Do I get subcontractor bids for their portion?

How Do You Share Your Profits?

When are you allowed by the FAR to use your partner?

Your Joint Venture Must be registered in SAM and have it’s own DUNS and CAGE number by the time the award is made.

Your Joint Venture can only be used THREE times, however, you may form a NEW Joint Venture with the same team as many times as you like.

Teaming arrangements may be used in place of a Joint VentureIf so allowed per the RFP requirements.

The joint venture or team is small only if the combined annual receipts or employees of all the firms in the JV meet the size standard for the procurement

When are you allowed by the FAR to use your partner?

Performance of work requirements apply to the cooperative effort of the team.

Can range from 10% - 50% self-performed, depending on the NAISC Code

A large business can be a Subcontractor (but not a JV Partner on a Small Business Set-Aside Contract) as long as the prime/sub team meets the performance of work requirement.

For any federal government procurement:

An 8(a) protégé firm may joint venture with its SBA approved mentor.

The JV is small as long as the 8(a) protégé qualifies as small for the procurement.

Performance of work requirements still apply to the cooperative effort of the JV.

How an 8(a) Certification Can Give You an Edge

FAVORITE RESOURCES

JOINT VENTURE 101http://www.ncmahq.org/files/Articles/CM1211%20-%2060-67.pdf

SMALL BUSINESS JOINT VENTURES & TEAMING ARRANGEMENTShttp://www.smdc.army.mil/2008/SmallBiz/Docs/JointVenturesandSBTeaming.pdf

SBA Regional Office: Ft. Worth

Gregory JamesProgram Director

Henry VinsonGovernment Contracting Specialist

And 3rd PartyContributors

DLA

UTA/Cross Timbers Procurement Center

QUESTIONS