ABCK-AmCham Kuwait hosted a 2-session workshop on ‘Contracting and Submitting Proposals to the U.S. Military’ with speakers from the U.S. Air Force’s 386TH ECONS, the U.S. Army’s Regional Contracting Center – Kuwait (RCC-KU), and Directorate of Public Works (DPW-N). The event started with the opening remarks by AmCham Kuwait’s Chairman – Pete Swift, who welcomed and thanked the participants for taking the time to learn more about doing business with the U.S. Federal Government.
The opening remarks were followed by the U.S. Air Force 386TH ECONS who targeted and covered topics such as Government Purchase Card (GPC) Program, Common Items Procured via GPC, Advantages of GPC, Pre-Solicitation Process, Solicitation Process, Proposal Requirements, Tips for an Excellent Quote/Proposal Submission, Award and Post-Award Process, Contracting Opportunities, and Construction Contracting Vehicles. He spoke about the GPC program as it is a mission to streamline payment procedures and reduce the administrative burden associated with purchasing supplies, and services. The GPC Flight makes all purchases under $35,000 US dollars (approx. 10,601.81 KWD) for supplies or services and is limited to $2,000 US dollars for construction purchases. Buyers are each issued a GPC credit card. The 386TH ECONS also spoke about the Common Items Procured via GPC: Printers/Toner, TVs/Speakers, Furniture (Desks/Chairs), Small construction projects, Building materials, Light bulbs, and Plumbing/HVAC supplies.
Subsequently, the presenters provided an in-depth explanation about the Advantages of GPC, such as Instant payment, so the vendor receives the money on the spot. Shorter lead times are much faster to making a GPC purchase than creating or awarding a new contract. Faster solicitation process, quicker delivery of the product or item and allows GPC Flight to go downtown to local vendors and purchase items directly.
Following the discussion, the 386TH ECONS presenters spoke about the Pre-Solicitation Process where the customer develops a requirement package that includes information on what is to be purchased, quotes from various local vendors, and funding for the requirement. Next, the 386 ECONS will develop a solicitation package, which can be either a Request for Quote, Request for Proposal, or an Invitation for Bid, and then will send out a solicitation package to identified local vendors who have been identified as able to meet the requirement. The presenters mentioned the proposal requirements and the tips for the proposal submission.
To finalize the First Session, the 386TH ECONS presenters discussed the Award and Post-Award Process and highlighted the Contracting Opportunities, the Construction Contracting Vehicles, and the Construction Contracting Opportunities.
For the Second Session, the U.S. Army’s Regional Contracting Center – Kuwait (RCC-KU) & Directorate of Public Works – North (DPW-N) informed the audience that the U.S. Government (USG) is looking for capable partners that can provide construction services at installations / facilities in Kuwait. The RCC-KU presenter then provided an in-depth presentation on Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC) and Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracting opportunities for projected constructions efforts in Kuwait during 2022 – 2027. The presenter expanded on the definition of MATOC and IDIQ and reviewed the various factors the USG would utilize to evaluate all submitted proposals such as experience, management / technical approach, past performance, and financial capability.
The RCC-KU’s presenter also highlighted the pre-requisites that a vendor must meet in order to work with the USG. Specifically, interested vendors should ensure that they are registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) and Joint Contingency Contracting System (JCCS). Upon selection for the MATOC, each awardee will also be required to acquire Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance from a U.S. Department of Labor approved insurance provider, register with Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE), and input employee data in Synchronized Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT). The presentation concluded with a question & answer session. Immediately after, selected construction companies were able to directly interact with RCC-KU representatives and present their capabilities and portfolios.