Task Order Response

Presented by: Shipley Associates

Why Task Orders?

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Task Order Procurement Trends: Current major trend, growing in

popularity among Gov. customers More TO master contracts being

awarded (ditto for task orders) TO master contract values on the

rise ($5B, $70B, $100B?) Master contracts are mid- to long-

term instruments ($3-7+ years, plus refresh/reissue/follow-ons)

Customers choose from multiple task order vehicles

Easier-to-use, faster, fewer hassles, easier to access preferred vendors.

Task Order Procurement Trends: Current major trend, growing in

popularity among Gov. customers More TO master contracts being

awarded (ditto for task orders) TO master contract values on the

rise ($5B, $70B, $100B?) Master contracts are mid- to long-

term instruments ($3-7+ years, plus refresh/reissue/follow-ons)

Customers choose from multiple task order vehicles

Easier-to-use, faster, fewer hassles, easier to access preferred vendors.

Implications for Contractors: Offer new business opportunities All master contracts not created

equal (ditto for task order requests), know the differences

Two-step process increases uncertainty (1) Win master contract, (2) Win task orders

Teaming agreements add complexity, capabilities

Short response times (30, 10, 1-day) strain resources, increase risk

Contractors frozen out of future business, if not on right contracts

Implications for Contractors: Offer new business opportunities All master contracts not created

equal (ditto for task order requests), know the differences

Two-step process increases uncertainty (1) Win master contract, (2) Win task orders

Teaming agreements add complexity, capabilities

Short response times (30, 10, 1-day) strain resources, increase risk

Contractors frozen out of future business, if not on right contracts

Source: FAR 16.5

Task Order Contracts Go By a Variety of Names

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These are contract vehicle forms, with significant variations within each form.

Task Order Terminology

Issued purchasing agreement which the customer issues for future but unspecified work

Describes general scope of work, period of performance, $$$ value/ceiling

Sets business terms, conditions, rates that apply to all subsequent task orders

Approves pre-qualified vendor(s) permitted to bid on task order requests

Awarded to one or more vendors (individual companies or prime/sub teams)

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Task Order Terminology

A Request for Proposal (RFP) issued under the master contract to obtain bids for a specified project (“task order”)

Vendors limited to those pre-approved by the master contract

Pre-approved vendors (individual companies or prime/sub teams) submit task order proposals in response to the task order request

Terms, conditions, rates flow down from master contract and do not need to be addressed in task order proposals unless changes/exceptions apply (ex: discount pricing).

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Task Order Terminology

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A bid submitted by a pre-approved vendor that describes how they will accomplish the task for a specified price

Task order proposals can be the “same” as other proposals or may have a variety of formats:

• Simple pricing spreadsheet with 1 to 100 resumes attached, emailed

• Standard proposal format with Technical/Management, Past Performance, Price section, electronic submission

• Multi-volume proposal , often with unique requirements, submitted in binders and on CDs

Task Order Terminology

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Once the customer has awarded the project (task order) to a vendor, then the legal documentation (agreement) is signed

Similar to a contract award, but done at the individual task order level

Once signed, the awardee begins work immediately.

Generalizations Can Be Dangerous

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Consider the following statements:

Statement Always Never Sometimes“Task orders are bid competitively.”

“Task orders are relatively small in value.”

“Task order proposals are short and page constrained.”

“Task order proposals have very short response periods.”

“Task order bids have few competitors.”

“Task order bids have a short cycle on the customer side – we can’t prepare in advance of the task order request.”

Variation of Task Order Bids

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Attribute Variations

End customer Can be one division, bureau, department/agency, or entire Executive Branch and beyond

Performance period Can be within one fiscal year or multi-year

Work scope/scale Can support a single program or many programs Master contract values range <$1M to $100+B

Pricing type Fixed price/rates, cost based, T&M, and/or incentive-basedContract marketing From minimal marketing by contractors to key requirementKey personnel Extent, commitment periods, replacement terms can vary TO response period TO proposal turnaround time can range from 90+ days to <1 day

TO proposal preparation

Can range from unspecified format with no page limits to highly prescribed format and very tight page constraints

Source selection Selection panel, evaluation, criteria vary for individual TOsCompetition Contract holders can range from 1 to 300+ (often 3 minimum)

Let’s Look at an Example: Alliant

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Alliant Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC)

Alliant Features

Ceiling: $50 BillionOrdering period of performance: May 2009 to April 2014, with one five-year option from April 2014 to April 30, 2019* (Basic Contract expiration date).

*Task Order performance can be performed up to April 30, 2024, which is past the Basic Contract expiration date, only when (1) orders are issued before April 30, 2019; and (2) options are included at initial issuance of the Order. The FAR Clause 52.217–8 Option to Extend Services cannot be used to extend work past April 30, 2024. (Refer to Alliant Contract Section F.3)

Tracking with Fed Biz Ops

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Challenges Posed by Our Customers

Limited customer intel—short advance notice, no industry day

Customer precludes us from bidding—chooses another vehicle

Customer may not invite us to bid

Little response time—solutioning/proposal-writing is compressed

Customer elicits bids to preserve “appearance” of competition

Customer awards to a “loser” just to keep them in the game.

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Challenges Posed by Our Competitors

Establish exclusive teaming agreements that limit our options

Deploy their teammates’ assets: intel, capture, proposal tasks

Know more about our competitors than we do

Discuss opportunity with customer before TO request is issued

Shape customer preferences behind the scenes, in their favor

Deviate from published contract rates, offering discounts.

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Challenges Posed by Our Own Companies

Weak customer relationships

Limited resources to anticipate upcoming task order bids

Limited intel about other contract holders

Task order process non-existent, not followed, too slow (afterthought)

Limited staff to work on TO proposals; limited re-use material

Unending conflict/dissatisfaction among teaming partners

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Key Win Factors

Leveraging automation for TO notification and tracking

Knowledge of the client

Knowledge of your competition

Understanding the issues and requirements

Having a good technical solution at a competitive price

Solid, relevant past performance

Qualified personnel with resumes that show relevance to this TO

Competitive pricing that we can deliver with low risk to us and the customer

Quality graphics that tell our story

A PMO that can provide winning TORs

Senior management that is supportive and ensures cross BU cooperation

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QuickTurn™ TO Response

(TOR) Process

Know the customer and their perception of us

Assess our competition

Determine customer issues, hot buttons, and requirements

Establish strategy, discriminators, themes, risk, and PTW

Make the Bid/No Bid decision

Document what we know and apply best practices – Use existing templates

Conduct a Pink Team Review

Prepare final review copy

Conduct a Red Team Review

Respond to the evaluation, polish and publish

Make submit decision

Deliver and prepare for execution

Government Release Task Order (TO)

1. TO Received by

PMO

2. TO Distributed

3. TO Analysis by IDIQ PM, TO Leads,

and Teammates

Bid Decision

Bid Decision

No BidNo Bid

( )

4. Conduct Kickoff

Including Teammate(s)

5. Identify Best Qualified

Teammate(s)

6. Assemble Best

Qualified/Best Value Team

)

7. Develop Solution for

TOR(Pink

Team)

Data Repositories

8. Identify TOR Lead and Staffing

9. Develop Cost BOEs & Pricing Solution

10. Develop

Complete TOR

11. Red Team

Review of TOR

Submit DecisionSubmit

Decision

12. Submit TOR to

Government

Prepare for Transition to TO Execution

Open, transparent team environment

Quick, responsive network/processes

Risk assessment key to demonstrating understanding

Use past performance specific to TO

Focus on HOW to accomplish TO requirements Existing, up-to-date data repositories

essential for quick-turn TORs

Examples: past performance & experience, resumes, standard plans, past proposals, graphics, BOEs, corporate metrics, CI/BI, PTW, lessons learned, etc.

“Share follows talent” Best value gets workshare

No bait and switch Bid people with highly

relevant skills to TOrequirement

PTW is critical in this LPTA environment

Developing accurate WBS & BOE is a must Well-defined, tailored

processes already in place

Yes

No

No

Yes

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Key decision gate

Know Our Customer

To improve either the reality or the buyer’s perception of reality about our offer

1. Know our customer and their perception of us. Seek to improve it!

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Know How Our Competitors Are Likely to Beat Us

Nothing new here, but are we taking it into account?

2. Assess our competition

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Understand the Real Requirements

Is it clear to us what the buyer is buying and the benefits they want and need?

3. Understand the customer’s issues, hot buttons, and the problem they’re trying to solve. Know the program mission … read more than the solicitation and the customer’s website!

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Establish Win Strategy, Discriminators, Themes, Risk, & PTW

Win Strategy = Action

4. Establish the justification for the customer to select us as the bidder of choice. Use real discriminators that distinguish us from the competition, themes that highlight those discriminators and the benefits they provide the customer, risks that are identified and mitigated, and a PTW that ensures we are competitively priced.

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Make a Bid/No Bid Decision

5. Challenge all the assumptions we’ve made about the customer, our competitors, our own company, and our solution to confirm that we’re likely to win and execute profitably. If we can’t confirm, it’s never too late to No Bid.

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Document What We KnowWhen confronted with the realities of the customer, the competitors and our own abilities to address the real requirements, there is seldom an abundance of viable solutions.

6. Gather our team (if any) and document our win strategy, themes, risk assessment, pricing bogey, ghosting ideas, and draft solution outline.

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Conduct a Pink Team ReviewPink Teams review the key elements of our response. By this time, we are about 1/3 of the way through your response process. Not too late to make a major adjustment, if needed.

7. Get feedback (reviews) on our response preparations from individuals outside the proposal whose abilities and knowledge we respect.

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Now We Can Write

With our Pink Team comments and validation in hand, follow the plan we made and draft the proposal. If we planned well, we won’t need to draft again.

8. Prepare a final review copy

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Independently Evaluate the DraftConduct a Red Team review of the proposal. Have someone not involved in the proposal read our solicitation while we’re drafting and then score the draft by the evaluation criteria. We should be approximately 2/3 of the way through our schedule now.

9. Simulate the customer’s evaluation

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Address Needed Changes and Gaps

This is the point on a large TOR where most contributors go back to their offices and a handful of folks finish.

10. Respond to the evaluation, polish and publish

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Confirm the Bid Decision and Make Decision

11. Confirm the decision to submit the bid (assess risk, price, etc.) and deliver it on time

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Deliver and Prepare for Execution

12. Deliver on time and ensure all preparations (people, facilities, equipment, procedures, etc.) are available, ready, and committed to execution of the task order.

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Let’s Back Up to Good Process

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In our 12 steps, did we?

Emphasize planning to

minimize risk

Align with the buyer to improve

benefits focus

Collect analysis to support

decision making

Rely on team reviews

to drive collaboration and improve

quality

Institutionalize best practices, including use of templates

Maintain the “big picture” with rational

approaches to tasks

Apply a benefits-

driven solution

approach

How Well Did We Tailor the TOR Process?

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Are We In A Favored Position Based Upon Our Solution and Price?

Did We Consolidate Activities While Maintaining Our Discipline?

Gate reviews Mock-ups Team reviews

Mini TOR Reviews – Flex Based on Response Time

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TOR QuickTurn™ Guidelines

Be compliant and responsive – Use a compliance matrix Make TOR easy to score and evaluate Develop win themes quickly – highlight them Identify differentiators – be compelling Document and validate solution Link proposed solution to mission/objectives Avoid wordy explanations and jargon

• Be clear, concise, and correct in your writing

Avoid complacency or “incumbentitis”

Staffing

• Identify key staff early

• Name staff

• Meet/exceed requirements

• Support skills matrices within resumes

Management

• Support with examples/metrics

• Industry “best practices”

• Proposed team’s responsibilities/authorities

• Exceed evaluation criteria

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Guidelines (Cont.’d)

Past Performance

• Comparable past performances

• Diverse experience

• Current references

• Engage business units

• Support experience relevancy matrices within past performance references

Graphics

Orals

Proposal Ops

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Summary: Key Win Factors

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1. Good Client Knowledge2. Good Knowledge of our Competition

3. Right Technical Solution, Well-Defined4. PMO to Manage TOR

5. Relevant Past Performance6. Quality Resumes

7. Effective, Descriptive Graphics8. Competitive Pricing

9. Cooperative Management

Thank You!

Contact Information:

Brad Douglas – bjdouglas@shipleywins.com

David Bol – dbol@shipleywins.com

Eric Gregory – egregory@shipleywins.com

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