Security Integrator Supports Local Community During COVID through GSA MAS Contract

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Reprinted with permission from ICU Technologies, a ClearCoast client. This blog post was originally posted by Team ICU on Jul 9, 2020 9:26:30 AM.

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Lake Tahoe Community College’s (LTCC’s) leadership recently executed a plan to provide the community with a COVID Surge overflow hospital but transitioned to being one of only two COVID testing facilities in El Dorado County. Here is how it happened:

LTCC’s Superintendent/President, Jeff DeFranco was quick to recognize the challenges posed by the COVID crisis. Anticipating the need to support the Lake Tahoe community, DeFranco agreed to use part of the LTCC campus as an overflow hospital in the event the local hospital was overwhelmed with patients. Thankfully, the community was quick to protect themselves against the virus and a hospital surge location was not necessary. The work to prepare for hospital overflow, however, was not wasted. A new need arose – finding a suitable COVID testing facility.

LTCC’s Al Frangione, who oversees the college’s facilities and security, was assigned as the Incident Commander for the college. Frangione explained that DeFranco was “all in, to make sure the hospital overflow concept was a success.”  Frangione quickly went to work, defining the necessary space, people, and materials. Frangione explained:

“One key component which is evident in any healthcare setting is security. Access control coupled with video monitoring of access points, perimeter and common spaces is a core responsibility which cannot be overlooked.”

Frangione reached out to ICU Technologies, LTCC’s preferred security integrator, to get an initial design. He explained, “I’ve worked with ICU in the past and am familiar with their GSA/CMAS contract process which cuts through the red tape and makes purchasing and installation as streamlined as possible — especially in an emergency.” He added, “In uncertain times, some companies might up their pricing, but partnering with companies like ICU, which are GSA/CMAS contract holders, protects us as the pricing schedule is in place prior to the emergency and has been approved as being legal, reasonable, and competitive.” An initial assessment led to a decision to install nine public safety cameras and electronic access control to monitor doors at the exterior entrances.

Within a few weeks, the fears about patient overload passed and El Dorado County officials recognized the need for a suitable testing location. Frangione explained, “Since Lake Tahoe Community College was mission-ready, we were selected as one of two county facilities for this critically important work.” The testing location required high levels of security for patients, testing staff, equipment, and to effectively control the security of the samples themselves. To date, 2,800 people have been tested. Details about testing can be found at: https://www.edcgov.us/Government/hhsa/Pages/EDCCOVID-19-Get-A-Test.aspx

ICU’s CEO, Brian Van Norman, said, “we’re happy to support LTCC in this critically important public health undertaking.” He added, “We applaud LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff Defranco’s vision and forward-thinking response.” Van Norman continued by explaining, “We are proud our company has the ability to quickly respond to meet community needs through our well established industry relationships, with manufacturer partners like Motorola-Avigilon, and our large subcontractor network that spans the Western States.”

Public sector leaders with security related issues should contact ICU Technologies at: icu-techinc.com

What’s in Your Gov 2019 Playbook?

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Now is the time to create a winning game plan.

It’s the start of a new government fiscal year…a new season to get your game plan together if you haven’t already begun to do so for FY2019. What strategies are in your playbook for increasing business within the government? Is your sales team equipped with all the resources, knowledge and offensive and defensive tactics to move forward? In short, will you be ready to score when opportunity and timing come together?

A favorite Charles Schulz cartoon of mine is one in which Lucy is holding a football for Charlie Brown to kick. Just as Charlie brings his leg forward Lucy pulls the ball away and Charlie falls to the ground. Poor Charlie Brown. If only he knew what he didn’t know.

Building a strong team requires a leader (coach) who can help players (sales team) realize what is possible. Now is the time to decide what that game plan will look like and with a strong coach craft your FY2019 government game plan.

What worked for your company in FY2018? What didn’t work? Are there new products/services your company is introducing to the government market? How are you planning to market and sell these items to your targeted government customers? Are you qualified on at least one government contract vehicle like the GSA Schedule or CMAS contract to help facilitate an easy procurement? Have you identified the barriers to entry or competition in your industry that are preventing you from advancing the game ball?

As a sales team, you must play both offense and defense. Pick up the intensity now and make up your mind that this is the year to push your limits. Go on the offense:

1. Educate yourself on your customer. What matters most to them? What are their pain points? Build a better relationship with them so when it’s time for you to shine on that RFQ or RFP – your customers cheer for you.

2. Build your plan and work it daily. How are you spending every minute of your day as a dedicated sales pro? Identify your daily priorities. Ask yourself is every action contributing to your quantitative sales goals? Do you need to better understand how your customers buy? Are you clear on the value of what your products and services provide? Not the features but the value!

3. Understand and use the tools at your disposal. What are your teammates doing to help improve their tactics? Are you plugged into the daily online digests of the government world which keep you abreast of the latest and greatest? Operating in a vacuum is not a good tactic. How are you identifying opportunities or getting the inside track on early forecasts from agencies? Are you qualified on pre-approved contract vehicles and do you understand how to leverage these contracts to win business?

While offensive moves are aimed at scoring points off opportunities created from a favorable field position, one would be remiss in ignoring the aggressive defense stance which a sales team must embrace as well. Go on the defense:

1. Don’t be afraid of transformation. Category Management (CM). Best-in-Class (BIC) Solutions. Spend Under Management (SUM). If these terms are not familiar to you now – they should be as Federal Acquisition practices continue to improve to create a more innovative, efficient, and effective acquisition system. There is a strong focus on transforming the government marketplace to create a new model for Federal contracting. Get with the program and understand how this transformation will impact your B2G strategies.

2. Pick up the intensity on a winning attitude. Each day you should value your effort as an individual, a team and a company as an accomplishment or a failure. As this season evolves, don’t have an attitude that all you must do is survive, “I’m not equipped to lead”, or “all I have to do is excel at my position.” The team is too important to let any of these attitudes cripple it. Don’t let yourself begin to thing from a singular viewpoint, teams win, individuals don’t.

3. Bring in the Special Team. It’s not the most exciting part of working with the government, but a contract consultant can be extremely valuable in making the difference between winning and losing. A good “Special Team” has an in-depth knowledge of the government marketplace, how to help position a company for success, and how to obtain or qualify a company for value-added contract vehicles to streamline the buying process. They are your subject matter experts and can help you get the job done when you need them most.

So, for this season (FY2019) set the bar high. Do not accept mediocrity within yourself or your teammates. The government needs industry like you more than ever. Believe it and you will find yourself dancing in the end zone. Now go make it happen.

No Time to Wait: Building Safer Communities through GSA and CMAS

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Tragic incidents by active shooters at K-12 schools are solidly in the crosshairs of law enforcement, politicians, the public and security focused companies with smart technologies for detection, surveillance and protection of assets. It is on everyone’s mind and everyone has an opinion of what can be done, should be done and must be accomplished to protect students.

State and local law enforcement and public schools are seeking rapid and proactive security strategies which enable increased collaboration between city officials, security leaders, law enforcement and first responders. The goal: keeping school campuses and communities safe. When this goal is strategically combined with today’s smart technologies the result is an integrated threat response solution with the sole purpose of rendering a safe environment.

To facilitate a streamlined buying process of these technologies, contract vehicles such as GSA’s Cooperative Purchasing Program and the California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) are enabling state and local agencies immediate access to these products and solutions while simultaneously abiding by contract terms and conditions.

Through the Cooperative Purchasing Program, GSA Schedules 70 and 84 vendors for Information Technology and Homeland Security products/services respectively, provide today’s law enforcement and city/county agencies with much needed technology. Such technology includes: Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, shot-detection sensors, access control, surveillance/video cameras, data analytics, mobile devices, cloud based storage, data management and other relevant IT and security systems.

Vendors qualified under the California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS) program are able to bypass traditional procurement methods by offering such pre-approved product/service solutions at pre-negotiated prices.

“It’s critical that our public agencies like school districts have access to solve their problems effectively with true partners and not just bidders,” comments Jason Eatmon, VP & Principal of Development Group, Inc. in Redding, CA. “Furthermore, districts are under pressure to provide solutions quickly and affordably. CMAS empowers them to do just that. Through CMAS, DGI has been able to immerse ourselves into the true needs of our customers and provide essential and meaningful solutions to our customers that are both effective and affordable.”

Through the GSA and CMAS procurement vehicles vendors are able to quickly offer innovative and intelligent technologies which build a high level of situational awareness to enhance safety in today’s most critical environments. When time is of the essence vendors and government decision makers need contract vehicles like GSA and CMAS more than ever.

To discuss how your company can help build safer schools and communities through a GSA and/or CMAS contract – contact ClearCoast.

Are You a CMAS Supplier?

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Want to boost your sales with California State and Local government agencies? If so, you might want to consider the California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) program.   The government marketplace can be challenging and risky for the uninitiated and even for seasoned veterans. Responding to RFQ’s and bidding on RFP’s can easily strain the resources of a company engaged in this marketplace.

A Better Solution

Enter the CMAS program offering a procurement vehicle for California registered businesses to sell both information technology and non-information technology products and services. Businesses qualifying for CMAS benefit from a ‘pre-approved’ status and streamlined acquisition process with government customers. Agencies are able to quickly get the products and services needed from CMAS suppliers critical to meeting today’s information technology, security and cloud based migration requirements just to name a few. In 2017, California State agencies alone purchased over $150 million in goods and services through the CMAS program.

How do you become a CMAS supplier? CMAS agreements are established with suppliers through an application process in which all pricing, products and/or services offered must have been previously bid and awarded on a Federal GSA Schedule contract.   This schedule is referred to the “base” contract. Upon review and acceptance of the supplier’s application, the CMAS unit awards a CMAS agreement for the same products and services at equal or lower prices. The State of California applies their own contract terms and conditions, procurement codes, policies and guidelines. It is then up to you as the CMAS supplier to market and distribute your CMAS offerings to State and Local government agencies.

A Competitive Advantage

Your competitors are seeking opportunities through CMAS to their competitive benefit and advantage, why shouldn’t you? Ask your government customers if CMAS would make buying from you easier. We’re sure they will say yes. For more information on how to apply for and obtain a CMAS agreement(s) contact ClearCoast today.

What is CMAS?

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California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) agreements are established with contractors registered in the State of California to sell information technology and non-information technology products and services to California State and Local government agencies. CMAS operates as a streamlined procurement option, offering competitively assessed and pre-negotiated products and services.

A CMAS is not established through a competitive bid process but rather recognizes all pricing, products and/or services which have been previously bid and awarded on a Federal General Services Administration (GSA) multiple award schedule. This GSA schedule is referred to as the “base” contract.  The State of California then applies their own terms and conditions to the agreement to ensure compliance between the contractor and the ordering agency.

CMAS Value Proposition

Contractors holding CMAS agreements deliver value-added benefits to their agency customers including:

1. Realize cost savings

  • Up-to-date, Federal Acquisition Regulation-compliant acquisition vehicle approved by California Public Contract Code (PCC) §10298 and 10299 for State and Local agencies to use without competitive bidding which helps minimize risks
  • Competitive, market-based pricing that leverages the GSA Schedules program with the ability to negotiate further discounts at the order level

2. Experience flexibility and choice

  • The ability to tailor orders to get what is needed by customizing terms and conditions at the order level
  • Set-aside orders for small business in order to help achieve an agency’s annual small-business goals
  • Decision tools and contracting solutions proven to meet complex requirements
  • A vast selection of contractors offering expert solutions for services and product

3. Save time

  • Pre-competed, on-demand contracts to increase the productivity and capacity of scarce acquisition resources
  • Quick and easy access to the right industry partners, allowing you to make the most use of your valuable time
  • State of California has added standard contract terms and conditions and procurement codes, policies and guidelines, resulting in a totally independent California agreement

4. Realize transparency

  • A suite of eTools that can be leveraged to identify qualified contractors, maximize competition, and assist you in reaching your socioeconomic goals
  • Copies of a CMAS agreement for approved contractors can be obtained at https://www.caleprocure.ca.gov

5. Control the procurement

  • Self-service access that allows agency contracting offices to retain control of their procurements, including requirements development, evaluation, award, and administration
  • Full-service options when in-house resources are tapped with other pressing projects

CMAS Fee, Sales and Payment

The selling CMAS contractor is required to pay the Department of General Services (DGS) a 1% incentive fee (excluding sales tax and freight) on all local government sales if they are not a California certified small business. Sales are reported quarterly by the CMAS contractor for each CMAS agreement. Payment by a State or Local agency through CMAS will be made in accordance with the provisions of the California Prompt Payment Act, Government Code (GC) §927 et. seq. Unless expressly exempted by statute, the Prompt Payment Act requires agencies to pay properly submitted, undisputed invoices not more than 45 days after (i) the date of acceptance of goods or performance of services; or (ii) receipt of an undisputed invoice, whichever is later.

For clarification or additional information, please contact ClearCoast today.