How GDI Consulting Can Help You Win the FIAR Support Follow-on Contract

Introduction

The Financial Improvement and Audit Remediation (FIAR) Support Follow-on contract is a lucrative opportunity for contractors who can provide financial management and audit support services to the U.S. Air Force. The contract has an estimated value of $1 billion and a duration of one year base plus four one-year options. The solicitation number is FA701423R0023 and the response date is TBD.

The Air Force is seeking qualified contractors who can assist in achieving audit readiness and sustaining auditability for its financial statements, as well as improving its financial management processes and systems. The scope of work includes financial reporting, internal controls, audit liaison, audit remediation, data analysis, systems support, training, and other related tasks.

GDI Consulting is a leading provider of capture and proposal services to government contractors, with a proven track record of winning federal contracts worth billions of dollars. GDI Consulting has the expertise, experience, and resources to help you win the FIAR Support Follow-on contract. In this article, we will explain why GDI Consulting is your best partner for this opportunity, and how we can help you prepare a winning proposal.

Historical Background

The FIAR Support Follow-on contract is a continuation of the previous FIAR Support contract that was awarded in 2018 to four contractors: Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC. The previous contract had a ceiling value of $800 million and a period of performance of five years. The previous solicitation number was FA701417R0012 and the response date was June 30, 2017.

The FIAR Support contract was part of the Air Force’s efforts to comply with the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 and the Government Accountability Office’s standards for federal financial management systems. The Air Force aimed to achieve a clean audit opinion on its financial statements by 2020, as well as improve its financial management capabilities and practices.

The FIAR Support contractors provided various services to help the Air Force achieve its audit goals, such as:

• Preparing and reviewing financial statements and reports
• Developing and testing internal controls and corrective action plans
• Providing audit liaison and coordination services
• Supporting audit remediation and resolution activities
• Performing data analysis and reconciliation
• Providing systems support and integration services
• Delivering training and knowledge transfer

The FIAR Support contractors worked closely with the Air Force’s Financial Management leadership, functional offices, major commands, field operating agencies, direct reporting units, and external auditors.

RFP Description

The FIAR Support Follow-on contract is expected to be similar in scope and requirements to the previous FIAR Support contract, with some possible changes or additions based on the Air Force’s current needs and priorities. The Air Force has not yet released the final RFP for the follow-on contract, but it has issued a draft RFP on September 21, 2023. The draft RFP provides some preliminary information about the follow-on contract, such as:

• The contract type will be a multiple-award IDIQ with task orders issued on a firm-fixed-price or labor-hour basis
• The contract ceiling value will be $1 billion
• The contract period of performance will be one year base plus four one-year options
• The contract will be open to all contractors who can meet the minimum qualifications and requirements
• The contract will have two pools: Pool 1 for large businesses and Pool 2 for small businesses
• The contract will use best value tradeoff as the source selection method
• The evaluation factors will include technical capability, past performance, small business participation, and price

The draft RFP also provides some details about the performance work statement (PWS), which describes the tasks and deliverables that the contractors will be expected to perform under the follow-on contract. The PWS covers six main areas:

• Financial Reporting: This area includes preparing, reviewing, validating, and submitting financial statements and reports in accordance with federal accounting standards and regulations.
• Internal Controls: This area includes developing, implementing, testing, documenting, and monitoring internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with federal guidance and best practices.
• Audit Liaison: This area includes providing audit coordination and communication services between the Air Force and external auditors, as well as facilitating audit requests, inquiries, findings, recommendations, responses, and evidence.
• Audit Remediation: This area includes supporting audit resolution and corrective action activities for audit findings and notices of findings and recommendations (NFRs), as well as tracking and reporting audit status and progress.
• Data Analysis: This area includes performing data analysis, reconciliation, validation, and cleansing for financial and non-financial data, as well as identifying and resolving data issues and discrepancies.
• Systems Support: This area includes providing systems support and integration services for financial management systems and applications, such as the Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System (DEAMS), the General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS), the Defense Agencies Initiative (DAI), and the Financial Information Resource System (FIRST).

The draft RFP also provides some information about the quality assurance plan (QAP), which describes the quality standards and measures that the contractors will be expected to follow and meet under the follow-on contract. The QAP covers four main areas:

• Quality Control: This area includes establishing and maintaining a quality control system that ensures compliance with the contract requirements and PWS, as well as identifying and preventing errors, defects, and deficiencies.
• Quality Assurance: This area includes conducting quality assurance reviews and audits to verify the quality of the contractor’s work products and services, as well as providing feedback and recommendations for improvement.
• Quality Improvement: This area includes implementing quality improvement initiatives and best practices to enhance the contractor’s performance and customer satisfaction, as well as measuring and reporting quality metrics and outcomes.
• Quality Management: This area includes managing and overseeing the quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement activities, as well as coordinating and communicating with the Air Force’s quality assurance personnel.

The draft RFP is subject to change based on the Air Force’s feedback and comments from potential offerors. The final RFP is expected to be released in the near future, with a response date to be determined.

Who Should Participate

The FIAR Support Follow-on contract is a highly competitive and complex opportunity that requires extensive experience and expertise in financial management and audit support services for the federal government, especially for the Air Force. The contract also requires a deep understanding of the Air Force’s financial systems, processes, policies, standards, and challenges. The contract is open to all contractors who can meet the minimum qualifications and requirements, but only those who can demonstrate superior technical capability, past performance, small business participation, and price will have a chance to win.

GDI Consulting is one of the best candidates for this opportunity, as we have:

• A proven track record of winning federal contracts worth billions of dollars, including self-scoring contracts such as GSA OASIS, GSA HCaTS, GSA Alliant 2 SB, DLA JETS, FBI ITSSS, etc.
• A team of highly qualified and experienced capture managers, proposal writers, subject matter experts, reviewers, editors, graphic designers, etc. who can deliver high-quality proposals that meet or exceed the customer’s expectations
• A network of strategic partners and subcontractors who can provide additional capabilities, resources, diversity, innovation, and value to our proposals
• A wealth of knowledge and insight into the federal market, especially the Air Force market, based on our market research, competitive analysis, customer outreach, industry events, etc.
• A customer-centric approach that focuses on understanding the customer’s needs, pain points, goals, vision, mission, culture, preferences, etc. and tailoring our solutions accordingly
• A flexible and agile methodology that adapts to changing requirements, schedules, priorities, risks, opportunities, etc. and ensures timely delivery of proposals

Challenges

The FIAR Support Follow-on contract is not without challenges. Some of the potential challenges that we anticipate are:

• High competition: The contract is likely to attract many large and small contractors who have experience and expertise in financial management and audit support services for the federal government. Some of these contractors may have incumbency advantage or existing relationships with the Air Force. To overcome this challenge, we will need to differentiate ourselves from our competitors by highlighting our unique value proposition, strengths, capabilities, innovations, and success stories.
• Complex requirements: The contract has a broad scope of work that covers various aspects of financial management and audit support services for the Air Force. The contract also has stringent quality standards and measures that require compliance with federal accounting standards and regulations. To overcome this challenge, we will need to demonstrate our understanding of the requirements and our ability to meet or exceed them by providing clear, concise, and compelling responses that showcase our relevant experience, expertise, and approach.
• Tight schedule: The contract has a short period of performance of one year base plus four one-year options. The contract also has a fast-paced solicitation process that may not allow much time for proposal preparation. To overcome this challenge, we will need to leverage our existing resources, tools, templates, and best practices that enable us to produce high-quality proposals in a timely manner. We will also need to monitor the solicitation closely and respond quickly to any changes or updates.

Conclusion

The FIAR Support Follow-on contract is a great opportunity for contractors who can provide financial management and audit support services to the Air Force. The contract has a high value, a long duration, and a wide scope of work. However, the contract also has high competition, complex requirements, and tight schedule. To win this contract, contractors need to demonstrate superior technical capability, past performance, small business participation, and price.

If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity with us, please contact us today at www.gdicwins.com. We will be happy to discuss your needs and goals, and how we can help you achieve them. Together, we can win the FIAR Support Follow-on contract and help the Air Force improve its financial management and auditability.