HSDBC Work Session on the Down Select Process

The Council is holding a white board session and discussion surrounding industry's perspectives on both formal and informal down select processes. This may be the first of multiple discussions depending on interest and content generated.

Background / Goals: This topic initially came up when the Council was approached by a member of the DHS Digital Service team who wanted to better understand processes or communication techniques throughout the procurement process that would signal to industry that they may not be a competitive bidder. We would like to provide them with feedback but also believe the down select process could be an excellent topic for future Reverse Industry Day sessions, for one of DHS' Acquisition Innovation Round table forums, and for a future small group discussion with select DHS officials that might be interested in further discussing the topic in more detail.

Our first goal is to develop a draft document that includes a range of perspectives on the subject. Once this is developed, we will explore who and how to best share and engage on these ideas with DHS.

Some of the questions and issues we will be discussing during the session include:

• When, why, and under what conditions the government should consider using a down select process or an informal advisory process

• Pros / cons to both formal down select process and informal advisory process

• Different ways of conducting the down select or advisory process (examples or best practices would be helpful)

• Communication techniques that help industry decide not to further invest time and money
  

  • What, when, and how to communicate to industry

When: Wednesday, September 13th, 9:30am - 11:30am

Where: Capgemini Government Solutions, 1765 Greensboro Station Place, Suite 300,McLean, VA 22102 (Tower 1, 3rd Floor). Capgemini is located in the Greensboro Station Complex. The visitor parking facility consists of an adjacent surface lot to 1710 SAIC Drive. It is also directly connected to the Greensboro metro stop on the silver line.

Who can attend: This event is open to all HSDBC member companies and their representatives (please limit attendance to 2 individuals per company). We hope you will send representatives with knowledge, experience, and great ideas on formal and informal down select processes within federal acquisitions.

Cost: Free

If you have questions about this event, please contact Krista Sweet at ksweet@homelandcouncil.org or at 202-470-6442.