Contracting Mechanisms
Bethel Services Inc maintains a number of contracting mechanisms to quickly and easily offer our services in a number of areas:
- Woman-owned Business
- GSA Approved Contractor
- SBA 8(a)
- GovWorks IDIQ Contract
- Alpha Contracting through USACE
- BIA Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) Contract
- FAA ID/IQ Contract
- USACE ID/IQ Contract w/Livingston Slone, Inc.
With our Small Business Administration (SBA) status as a Certified 8(a) Disadvantaged Business, government agencies may choose to contract with us using sole-source acquisition.
As an Alaskan Native Corporation we are eligible to receive these sole source contracts regardless of dollar size, with no upper limit, while all other 8(a) firms are held to a sole source contract limit of $3 million or less.
Sole source contracts are usually approved in a matter of days. Federal agencies have an 8(a) or small business program and the Small Business Representative will understand how to guide their planners and engineers through the 8(a) contract program. Because the 8(a) program is a federal mandate, federal agencies get credit for the amount of work they issue to a small business, small disadvantaged business, and 8(a) firms.
As your teaming partner, Bethel Services helps prime contractors and government contracting agencies meet their SB utilization goals in several categories, including SB, SDB, 8(a), Woman Owned, and Native American.
How the Program Works
The 8(a) program is intended to benefit both the client as well as the contractor through mechanisms that ensure quality performance. Prior to acceptance into the program, the contractor is subjected to a rigorous review of its ownership, daily management, operations, experience and financial status. Only those contractors that can document disadvantaged business status and demonstrate the viability of the organization are accepted into the program. Once accepted, the contractor is required to provide the SBA with a detailed business plan that must be updated annually.
Subcontracting
One of the goals of the 8(a) program is to allow non-8(a) contractors to expand their scope of services. Therefore, the 8(a) contractor is permitted, with approval of the SBA, to subcontract a portion of this work to other qualified firms. While subcontracting is restricted to maintain the integrity of the program as an opportunity for disadvantaged businesses, subcontracting limits can be as high as 85 percent, depending on the industry. Contractors develop valuable relationships, while the client benefits from a qualified, experienced, well-rounded team.