SBR CREATING SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS STORIES

                                

Simplified Capabilities with Small Business Registry.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 21, 2010 – ATLANTA, GA- Concept Software and Services, Inc. announced its new product, Small Business Registry®, a customized web enabled capabilities solution to government contract procurement and compliment to the Central Contract Registry with superior search qualities. Being a software developer on the GSA Schedule, Small Business Registry.com launched this complete centralized data system for capabilities statement management and business matchmaking which supports small businesses in marketing to the government sector.

Small Business Registry.com is the premier sourcing solutions and corporate speed dating tool for agencies such as GMSDC.  Report by the EPA, 45 percent of all small businesses have not register with or are not aware of the CCR system used to foster vendor opportunities with Federal Agencies. A recent report found that federal employees on average spend 15-20 hours per week tracking possible vendor. In today’s economy, small businesses cannot afford to miss opportunities to create vendor relationships with federal agencies.

Small Business Registry solutions make the transition of capabilities data a lead nurturing reality for small business. Business owners are able to upload their own statements unlike the CCR. This improves efficiency and is more than just a tool for storing statements. Small Business Registry solutions transform static paper to dynamic digital information- documents become searchable PDFs with email deliverability via Outlook® contacts. With Small Business Registry, government agencies have access to a unique combination of capable vendors. It’s an open and fair source for businesses and buyers.

For agency officers, request a free trial at info@smallbusinessregistry.com                                Small business owner visit and upload your statement today at www.smallbusinessregistry.com 

Legislation Grants Public Access to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity and Information System (FAPIIS)

President Obama signed the Supplemental Appropriations Act for 2010 into law. This legislation amends the Clean Contracting Act of 2008, and allows the public to access the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), previously off-limits to anyone other than chairmen and ranking members of congressional committees. Under the new law, with the exception of contractors’ past performance evaluations, all information will be available for viewing online. FAPIIS is managed by the General Services Administration, and was launched as “part of an ongoing initiative by the Administration to increase consideration of contractor integrity and the quality of a contractor's performance in awarding Federal contracts.” The final rule enacting FAPIIS is found in the Federal Register

The FAPIIS database contains a wide range of information about contractors’ past performance, and aids contracting officers in selecting contractors who will perform well in order to avoid wasting taxpayer money. According to the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) website, FAPIIS “contains information to support award decisions as required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). FAPIIS is a web-enabled application that collects information on Terminations for Default, Terminations for Cause, Terminations for Material Failure to Comply, Defective Pricing Actions, Non-Responsibility Determinations, and Recipient Not-Qualified Determinations. Use of FAPIIS promotes awards to entities with a history of proven performance and business integrity.” As stated in the Federal Register, “FAPIIS is designed to improve the Government's ability to evaluate the business ethics and expected performance quality of prospective contractors and protect the Government from awarding contracts to contractors that are not responsible sources.”

According to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, “The American people have every reason to expect that their tax dollars are well-spent . . . For this reason, I am pleased that with this new legislation every contractor’s history of illegal behavior will be posted on a publicly accessible online database. I strongly expect that this new public awareness will put an end to handing out taxpayer-financed contracts to corporations with a history of fraud.”

While it is good news to many that the database is now publicly available, the move to make this information easily accessible is a concern to some in the industry. In a public statement, the Professional Services Council (PSC), the self-defined “national trade association of the government professional and technical services industry,” expressed concern that the new law “could create a politically motivated blacklist of vendors and improperly limit the government’s ability to access the best qualified vendors in the marketplace.”  Alan Chvotkin, Executive Vice President and Counsel for PSC recently stated that, “While firms are accountable for their past performance, opening portions of the database that are not now already publicly available elsewhere could risk improperly influencing the evaluation and selection of otherwise qualified bidders because of public pressure to ‘blacklist’ certain vendors.”

Mr. Chvotkin continued, “Furthermore, public posting risks the inappropriate and potentially damaging disclosure of company proprietary information while doing nothing to further government oversight or decision making.” He also promised that, “Given this major modification to FAPIIS, PSC will be working with GSA and other federal agencies to ensure the proper and fair implementation of the public posting requirement.”

When Will The Information Be Available For Viewing?
The GSA is currently working on putting the new law into action, while also striving to alleviate the concerns of those in the industry. Diane Merriett, spokeswoman for the GSA, recently stated, “We are aware of some industry concerns regarding the disclosure of proprietary data and will address those.” At this time, no firm date has been established for the release of the information to the public.

Small Business Advantages of Adopting the Latest Technologies

Small business owners in the process of growing have some distinct advantages, among them being that they can readily adopt the latest technologies. They don’t have to worry about integrating into an existing infrastructure. Imagine being able to start with what works rather than having to discover it through trial and error? Small business owners have the ability to readily embrace new business models.


Small Business Registry was developed with this in mind. Our software solution gets government contracting to the small business owners by simplifying the job of the Small Business Officer. Pioneering a new market and getting certifications is difficult enough. Vendors should be relieved to find a forum such as SBR which requires zero integration, zero set-up and zero cost to initiate a trial.

There has been an epic shift in people starting new businesses. This financial crisis has lead us to be creative, innovative and pursue ideas. Small Business Registry is for those who want to take these latest advantages and level up in government contacting.

Your business should have the tools, the right information and the right access. Are you prepared to adopt new technologies, have a solid capability statement and communicate with federal small business officers? As a CEO, I was and I ask you to embrace the same.



Ravi Bhave

Concept Software Inc., CEO