US Army Corps of Engineers ®

Steps for Doing Business with the Portland District

1. Call, write or visit the Portland District Deputy for Small Business.

   Carol McIntyre
   Portland District Corps of Engineers
   333 SW First Avenue            P.O. Box 2946
   Portland, OR 97204              Portland, OR 97208-2946
   
   503/808-4602 PHONE     carol.a.mcintyre@usace.army.mil
   503/808-4605 FAX

2. Be prepared to discuss your capabilities, interest and capacity to perform with the Deputy for Small Business. Following are several questions you should be prepared to address:
   • Why should the Portland District contract with my company?
   • In what way are my products or services well beyond those of my competitors?
   • What are my demonstrated qualifications?
   • Why is my specialized experience and technical competence better than others in my field?
   • Do I have the capacity to accomplish the work in the required time and within the allocated budget?
   • How has my performance been in the past?
   • If I am not located in the general area of the work, how can I insure competitive pricing?

3. Obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number by calling 800/333-0505 (8am-6pm EST). Both the call and the service are free. These numbers are needed before you can register with the Central Contractor Registration in Step 4, below.
    
4. Register with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). All Contractors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration database before they can be awarded a contract with the Corps of Engineers.
    
5. For Small Disadvantaged firms - Register with the SBA as a small disadvantaged firm. To register contact your local SBA office. http://www.sba.gov/index.html 
    
6. For Architect Engineer Firms: Complete a standard form 330 to get into our database.
   • The form can be found at http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/formslibrary.do?formType=SF.
   • Part II presents the general qualifications of a firm or a specific branch office of a firm. It is to be submitted to:

     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District
     CENWP-CT-I
     P.O. Box 2946
     Portland, OR 97208-2946

   • Part I presents the qualifications for a specific contract & is to be submitted in response to the individual request for proposal.

7. For all IT services and supplies: The Corps of Engineers has a new organization responsible for all procurements, both large and small, for IT services and supplies, ACE-IT (Army Corps of Engineers - Information Technology).

   Primary Contact:
   Tom Tatum
   703-415-0902 x 143
   tom.tatum@lmco.com

   Alternate Contact:
   Bill Colmer
   703-415-0902 x 123
   bill.colmer@lmco.com

8. Review the Fed.Biz.Opps. All routine procurements proposed by a Federal agency must be publicized. The most common method of announcement is publication in the FedBizOpps. There you will find a record of upcoming procurements, awarded contracts, and sources sought announcements. This is free at the website above.

9. Visit the Portland District Contracting Division web site. There you will find information on current procurements.

10. Be alert to announcements of business opportunity conferences, trade fairs and other federally attended or sponsored liaison meetings in your area. Make it a point to attend whenever possible. The Corps of Engineers is represented at most such meetings. This is an excellent opportunity to meet on a person-to-person basis with procurement and small business specialists who can assist small businesses with the selling of their services or products.