Author: Tim Hagerty / CEO TeamingPro.com
We all want that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you feel safe, warm and cozy right? Well, why wouldn’t we want that same feeling of peace and security when it comes to business?
Federal contracting can be an unforgiving beast if we screw up and sometime the mistakes we can make are fatal to our businesses. Case in point, I read an article about a guy in New Jersey that got indicted for fraud because he checked the wrong box in his application \ solicitation. Yeah there were a few million of dollars on the line but hey, it could happen to anybody right? Well, this particular individual, when confronted with his mistake decided to double down and provide some fraudulent documents to back up his initial mistake and guess what? That’s where the fraud comes in.
The truth is, since we’re teaming with other companies to create bids, that we’re in a partnership with those other companies and in doing so, their reputations become ours.
This is why we have a system at our disposal, free of charge from the Government, called FAPIIS. This is a website that catalogs all of the misdoings and illegal dealings between private entities and the federal government. Anyone can use this website to check a company out and see if they have any skeletons in the closet.
It works like this, go to the FAPIIS website and search for a company by either their Name, cage code or UEI number. Please note, FAPIIS.GOV records are now called Responsibility/Qualification. Once you’re ready click the Search button. If you’re searching by the company name, go get a cup of coffee and watch an episode of law and order or something and by the time you get back you should have your results.
You’ll see a list of company names if you have a broad match, and you can scroll through the records to see the entity you’re looking for. From there, just click the name and view their record.
You want to see the word "NO" associated with the FAPIIS data. This means that they don’t have any recorded infractions.
Check out some of the No-no sections, defective pricing, contractor default and termination for cause to name a few. These are all indicators that you want to keep a healthy distance from that entity if you see a "YES" in any of these columns, in this writer’s opinion. If you do see a yes, then you’ll need to make a judgement call as to whether or not you want to do business with that company.
Of course, you could just register and get this check done everytime a teammate is recommended. Just throwing that out there.
Until the next,
Tim Hagerty / CEO TeamingPro.com
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