1. Do your homework: Know what DISA buys and how DISA buys it
- Attend DISA 101 Small Business Orientation - To request an invitation to the DISA 101 Small Business Orientation, please send an email to DISASmallBusiness@mail.mil.
- Send in your most recent capabilities brief.
- Request to be added to our email distribution list.
- Review the DISA.mil website for program information.
- Review the DISA Forecast.
- Attend events that DISA participates in like Forecast to Industry and AFCEA TechNet Events.
2. Determine if and how your capabilities fit into DISA’s mission.
3. Understand Federal Contracting Processes
Be familiar with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and the DISA Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DARS), especially FAR Part 19, DFARS Part 219 and DARS Part 19.
4. Explore subcontracting and joint venture/teaming opportunities.
Regardless of your product or service you are encouraged to look at subcontracting opportunities with the Department of Defense (DOD).
This website lists all major DOD prime contractors by state and provides a point of contact (Small Business Liaison Officer) within each firm. In addition to subcontracting, we also encourage you to learn about joint ventures and teaming, and investigate potential opportunities with the firms under contract with DISA.
5. Respond to Sources Sought Notices (SSN) or Request for Information (RFI’s) on SAM.gov.
DISA posts RFIs and SSN on SAM.gov.
DISA uses the responses to the SSNs for market research purposes to determine if the capability necessary for a requirement exists in the marketplace, and whether or not the small business community can provide it at a fair and reasonable price. As a small business, you will want to take every opportunity you can to respond to these notices as DISA uses these responses to determine its acquisition strategy. What does that mean to you? If no small businesses responds to a SSN, the assumption is that the capability does not exist in the small business marketplace and the requirement will not be set aside for small business participation only.
When responding to a Sources Sought, it is important to fully answer and provide a submission that responds to the specific request. If your company can only provide part of the service, and you will be partnering with another business to provide the complete solution, please be sure to explain that in your response. You want your submission to give the program office the complete confidence that you understand the requirement and can provide the total solution. Additionally, be sure to include your federally designated small business categories as well as the contract vehicles that you have been awarded.
In addition to submitting a complete solution, it is also our recommendation that you contact some of your competitors and encourage them to also submit capability statements in response to the SSN. This may sound counterintuitive to you, but in order to do a small business set- aside, there must be two or more capable small businesses.
6. Make sure your data is up to date in the SBA Dynamic Small Business search tool, and fully details your business and capabilities.
DISA uses this database for market research purposes for every requirement.
7. Know Barriers to Entry
- Facility Site Clearances:www.dcsa.mil
- Geographic locations
- Past Performance Requirements
DISA Premier Contracting Vehicles:
- Adobe JELA II
- Cisco JELA III
- Agency Program Support (APS) BPA
- DISN Transmission Services-Pacific (DTS-P II)
- Global Network Services (GNS)
- Global Services Management – Operations (GSM-O II)
- Workstation BPAIII (HP BPA)
- Microsoft Enterprise Technical Support Services-II (METSS-II)
- Microsoft JELA III
- Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Internet Café Program (MWR ICP)
- Palo Alto Enterprise Agreement (EA)
- Test, Evaluation, and Certification (TEC) Services
Additional Contracting Vehicles that DISA routinely uses:
- GSA 8(a) STARS III
- GSA MAS Schedules
- NITAAC NIH CIO SP3 and CIO SP3 SB
- GSA OASIS and OASIS SB
- GSA EIS
- NASA SEWP
- GSA VETS II