Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast Deputy for Small Business, Mark Brock, spoke to nearly 100 members who attended the local Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Industry Day event held at the University of North Florida University Center in Jacksonville, Florida, Dec. 8.

Brock spoke on "Improving Your Proposal" and discussed the NAVFAC Southeast "Fiscal Year 2017 Projected Workload." Dawn Brown, assistant deputy for Small Business with NAVFAC Southeast, was also in attendance for the event.

Brock and Brown's strategy for Industry Day was to help small businesses be better prepared to meet the NAVFAC Southeast mission by teaching the attendees about solicitations and common mistakes found in proposals submitted for construction and architect/engineering solicitations with the Navy.

"We realize that our acquisition professionals and small businesses speak different languages when it comes to solicitations and proposals," said Brock. "Helping the small business contractors understand the meaning of key contracting terms, contract format, and common mistakes is a good way to help them provide better proposals. In turn, it will make it easier for the Navy's acquisition teams to evaluate the proposals."

Brock and Brown review market research for proposed requirements to create advantages and opportunities for small businesses. They coordinate more than 700 small business records and reviews annually. They work hard on forecasting the Navy's requirements so small businesses can better align themselves with their subcontractors and be better prepared to tackle Navy requirements when preparing proposals.

"A good requirements forecast allows small business to pick and choose which projects are more in line with their experiences, and which ones may give them a better chance at winning proposals," said Brock.

Brock and Brown work as a team to provide small business advocacy training and acquisition training on small business rules and procedures. They coordinate with small businesses through email, over the phone, one on one, and during industry days and organizational gatherings with the overarching goal of sharing the NAVFAC Southeast mission and vision.

"For the NAVFAC Southeast Small Business team, it is much more than meeting NAVFAC small business matrixes and goals," said Brock. "It is about creating a win-win situation for the contractor, customers, NAVFAC, and ultimately, the U.S. Navy.

To learn more about opportunities for Small Business, contact the NAVFAC Southeast Small Business team at NAVFACSESmallBusiness@navy.mil.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy/, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy/.

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