FullDeskPLUS – Government IDIQs

FullDesk offers a specialized service, called FullDeskPLUS for government contract IDIQ awardees. IDIQ stands for “Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity and the U.S. Federal Government uses this form of contract to procure recurring goods and services from a pre-approved price list. IDIQ contracts are favored by the U.S. Federal Government and industry must compete within this structure by responding to task order solicitations under the IDIQ contract. A task order solicitation is released for any of a broad range of service areas described in the contract statement of work.

The FullDeskPLUS service enables an IDIQ awardee to fully leverage the “always on” staffing and recruiting capability of FullDesk. FullDeskPLUS has dedicated resources focused on staff augmentation services specifically for federal government contractors. FullDeskPLUS offers an IDIQ awardee the ability to make a firm commitment to the Federal government to provide the requested services in a timely manner. Profitability depends on the project manager’s ability to get the right staff at the right price and the staff must be available on the timeline demanded by the government. It is not uncommon to have a task order proposal due in ten business days after the government releases the task order solicitation. When awarded, work is usually expected to start in two weeks.

In today’s lean corporate environment, it is impossible for companies to maintain a bench of resources that can rapidly be assigned to a new task order. Rarely can new employees be sourced, vetted, and offered to the government in such a short time. Here’s where FullDesk PLUS makes the life of a Project Manager much easier. We recognize that the only viable approach is to maintain a “virtual bench” with a contingency offer of employment. This allows the company to legitimately offer the person’s résumé/CV in reply to the task order solicitation. If awarded the work, the contingency offer is activated.

Let’s face it. Any attempts to fill task order solicitations for skilled staff without advance planning is a high-risk proposition. Hiring quality staff for services takes time and effort by the company, on a timeline that is just too long to be responsive to a no-notice task order solicitation. FullDeskPLUS offers this proactive staffing model to remedy this situation. Additionally, FullDeskPLUS aligns with PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), Chapter 9.1.3, the Staffing Management Plan, which is part of the overall Human Resources plan).

THE PROCESS

FullDeskPLUS offers the timely progression of candidates through the series of selections to get to a placement on a task order. The FullDeskPLUS methodology consists of a series of process steps necessary to recruit, select, and hire new employees. The FullDeskPLUS methodology is divided into four phases:

Phase 1 – Job Requisition Development & Maintenance
Phase 2 – Pre-Qualification and Categorization
Phase 3 – Market, Hire and Place
Phase 4 – Maintain Bench Replenishment

Phase I – Job Requisition Development & Maintenance.

A thorough position description is a critical start to the process. Job descriptions are developed and stored months in advance of the IDIQ award and are used to begin the sourcing process. Job descriptions are not based solely on the customer’s descriptions but rather on the skills that the awardees will truly be expected to provide. Requisitions are done shortly after the IDIQ is awarded and well in advance of any task orders. Tasks include:

Validate expected skills
Prepare job description
Approve and store job descriptions
Post job requisition

Phase 2 – Pre-Qualification and Categorization.

Our two-step process primarily includes an in-depth phone screen and a personal interview.

Phone Interview
An in-depth phone screen is conducted with every candidate. In this phone interview, we assess qualifications, education, skill level, and experience. We also pay particular attention to availability, clearances, special considerations such as citizenship, salary or compensation issues, areas of interest, location, and intangibles that might be a challenge to the candidates’ acceptance.

Personal Interview
We schedule each candidate for an in-person interview at our office or other facility. In this interview, we conduct an in-depth examination not only of technical abilities, but also of punctuality, soft skills, professionalism and interviewing abilities. We ensure that the candidate has a thorough understanding of the job requirements. Finally, we conduct skills testing to ensure that the candidate can move forward in the process.

Upon successful pre-qualification, we then engage in the following activities:

Prepare salary analysis
Make contingency decision
Assemble offer package
Receive acceptance or declined offer
Document the FullDeskPLUS repository
Categorize the candidate for the ‘best fit’ placement

Phase III – Market, Hire and Place.

Phases I & II represent the critical “pre-award” pieces of the FullDeskPLUS methodology. The value of a contingency offer is the initial relationship it establishes that can dramatically shorten the proposal process for the future task orders. Phase III activities represent activities that occur AFTER the IDIQ is awarded and task order solicitations are beginning to release. These activities include:

Marketing the FullDeskPLUS service to hiring managers
Receiving task order from FullDeskPLUS vendor/partner
Validating requirements against the “virtual bench”
Making best-fit decision
Activating contingency offer
Receive acceptance or declined offer
Place candidate on task order contract

Phase IV – Manage Bench Replenishment.

FullDeskPLUS believes that readiness is the key! We maintain a repository of over 600 labor categories and thousands of candidates. We have the personnel, infrastructure, and processes in place to decrease risk for all IDIQ Program Managers.

Our services are based on progressive steps that ensure our candidates, partners and clients meet their staffing and placement needs in an expedited manner. Response speed and candidate selection are the critical key metrics by which we measure our success. Our professional staff is selected, evaluated and compensated based on their success in meeting your needs.

We maintain constant contact with hundreds of professional candidates on a weekly basis regarding their projects and career goals and aspirations. These real-time conversations, combined with a thorough understanding of the IDIQ environment, enables us to offer a “Readiness Model” that is exceptionally responsive to the needs of our staffing community, candidates and clients alike.