VetLikeMe News Alert

What is His Motive?
VA Chief of Acquisition Spills Guts Regarding
“Veteran’s First” Sham

In this episode of the Twilight Zone, we have a very special guest on the set who you’ll meet further down the column. In an astounding display of bureaucratic stupidity or marvelous cunning, Jan Frye, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Acquisition and Logistics phoned Wayne Gatewood, a fierce advocate for veterans—with a weight on his chest than needed to be re-leased. Wayne, take it away:

“Yesterday I had a conversation with Mr. Jan Frye, VA’s Chief of Acquisitions. Mr. Frye talked with me about the workings of the VA FSS Program and what he believes to be the importance of the FSS in relation to procurement methodology and the importance of the VA Supply Fund to OAL Operations. At the following Link, please read about the VA FSS Schedule: http://www.fss.va.gov At the following Link, please read about the VA Supply Fund: http://www.va.gov/oal/about/finance.asp.

Mr. Frye also let me know that Secretary Shinseki stands by the VA FSS Schedule as the go-to procurement methodology and it was Secretary Shinseki’s personal decision to not go Vets First! (I am attempting to get a past Press Release from VA PA Office that is supposed to contain the Secretary’s words relative to this matter). Please read the below two paragraphs from the Office of Acquisition and Logistics (OAL) webpage – “About Us.”

“The complex functions required to support the diverse programs of VA are reflected in the mission and organization of OAL. In addition to its primary role of supporting VA’s pro-grams, OAL has a Government-wide role in the supply management of medical supplies and non-perishable subsistence.”

“All OAL operations are funded through the self-sustaining VA Supply Fund which is managed by OAL. The operating costs are recovered through a variety of cost recovery mechanisms that are designed to pass the costs of services provided along to the beneficiaries of such service.”

The VA’s Supply Fund offsets the operating costs of OAL, such as the VA Acquisitions Academy, Denver Acquisitions and Logistics Center, National Contract Service, National Acquisition Center, and the staff that operates these activities. The fund also pays for bonus’ and other items. How does it work? VA gets .05 % of every dollar of every FSS Schedule contract that is let. Given the VA purchases billions of dollars in products, supplies, medicine, services, etc., per year, with much of that through FSS, the FSS program brings in millions of dollars to the Supply Fund. In addition to the money that comes back to the Supply Fund to support OAL, Mr. Frye also told me that VA believes that FSS provides the best cost and the most reliable and timely source of services and supplies to support our millions of Veterans. (But, since there are no cost comparisons with SDVOSBs for certain products and supplies I ask, ―how can that claim be supported”?)*

A GAO Report on the Supply Fund along with an “anonymously prepared Analysis of the VA FSS and the Supply Fund”, are also attached. I have looked over the Analysis but can-not confirm its validity or support its claims. Nonetheless, it appears to be very thorough.

So there you have it folks….FSS Priority…so says Secretary Shinseki! If you want to comment on this matter, send me an e-mail and I will place it in the News for Mr. Frye and staff to read. For me personally, nothing changes until the Law changes and until that happens, it re-mains Vets First as required by PL 109-461. Also, for any and all purchases under the small purchase threshold (to include the “griddle” Aldevra was trying to sell to VA when VA went FSS), by Law, has to be purchased from a small business! So says the Law, so says SBA….. Small purchases are for small business only and not VA FSS to large business.

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VetLikeMe is developed by BluePoint Productions,
Hardy Stone Publisher
301-845-1330

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This is a public service announcement (PSA) brought to you by Veteran Owned Business.   Veteran Owned Business is in no way affiliated with the above organization(s). We do not in any way endorse the above business/organization or guarantee the above offer.  VeteranOwnedBusiness.com and the Veteran Owned Business Directory are simply providing information we feel is of interest to veterans, active duty military, reservists, service disabled veterans, veteran owned businesses, service disabled veteran owned businesses, families of veterans, families of our armed forces and any other person or persons directly or indirectly involved with the United States military.

If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled  veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

The November-December 2011 VetLikeMe SDVOSB Newsletter (Volume 2, No. 6) is now available for viewing.

In this issue: Aldevra GAO Decision — Moot but Not Mute – My name is Rodney Marshall, owner of Aldevra. Many people have followed our case over the last several months. It started by protesting the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ (VA) solicitations to use the fed-eral supply schedule (FSS) without first considering service disabled veteran owned small businesses (SDVOSBs). The Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained our protest (meaning they agreed the VA should consider SDVOSBs before FSS) and recom-mended that the VA cancel the solicitations and re-solicit as SDVOSB set aside if there were two or more qualified SDVOSBs. The VA initially refused to comply with GAO‘s recommendation and, most recently, cancelled the solicitations so it becomes a moot issue.… click here to view entire issue.

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VetLikeMe (VLM) is a publication focused entirely on service-disabled veteran owned business.  We feature National news that affects our community, interviews with federal government officials and agencies, legislative activities at the State level and editorial opinion.

Launched in October 2009, VLM is published by BluePoint Productions, a non-profit business certified and verified by the  Veterans Administration as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

Hardy R. Stone, the sole proprietor of BluePoint Productions, is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran (SDVOSB).

The following newsletters require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download from adobe.com.

Current VetLikeMe Issue:

November – December 2011 VetLikeMe

Archived VetLikeMe Issues:

September – October 2011 VetLikeMe

July – August 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

May – June 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

March – April 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

November – December 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

July – August 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

May – June 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

March – April 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

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This is a public service announcement (PSA) brought to you by Veteran Owned Business.   Veteran Owned Business is in no way affiliated with the above organization(s). We do not in any way endorse the above business/organization or guarantee the above offer.  VeteranOwnedBusiness.com and the Veteran Owned Business Directory are simply providing information we feel is of interest to veterans, active duty military, reservists, service disabled veterans, veteran owned businesses, service disabled veteran owned businesses, families of veterans, families of our armed forces and any other person or persons directly or indirectly involved with the United States military.

If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled  veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

SDVOSB National News – VetLikeMe

VA’s ‘VetsFirst’ Policy Under Attack
Violations of Law Questioned

(Washington, DC — SDVOSB News Services) — The U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Bill Johnson, (R-OH) Chair), heard testimony from several government officials regarding Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and procurement priority at a joint hearing today. Lawmakers were troubled by the VA’s implementation of Public Law 109-461 and its adherence to the 2006 federal statute.

The Hearing was streaming live on the internet ( http://tinyurl.com/7nzzhaj ) as Mr. Tom Le-ney and VA counsel Mr. John Thompson responded to questions about the VetsFirst policy. Thompson appeared flummoxed as he attempted to defend the VA’s interpretation of PL 109-461 and SDVOSB priority in procurements ( http://tinyurl.com/7nzzhaj at 56:25).

“Could you please tell me, tell this Committee how the VA considers itself exempt from the mandates set out in Public Law 109-461?…The government cannot be sued for not meeting goals. The federal government can be sued for not adhering to the law. Why is there such reluc-tance by the VA to follow the law as interpreted by the GAO?,” Chairman Johnson asked the VA counsel. “I disagree, GAO disagrees…is there going to be a review? Because you‟ve been told by the GAO that your interpretation is wrong.”

GAO issued recommendations to the VA on its VetsFirst procurement policies in late Oc-tober of this year after Aldevra, an SDVOSB, appealed a VA decision to ignore their protest on a solicitation. Aldevra appealed to GAO, which sustained the protest, citing PL 109-461. Jan Frye, VA Deputy Associate Director for Logistics and Procurement Policy, issued instructions to VA Contracting Officers to ignore the GAO‟s recommendations and continue agency procurement as it has in the past.

Also testifying at the hearing: Ralph O. White, Managing Associate General Counsel for Procurement Law, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Government Accountability Office, who laid out PL 106-50 in plain terms and indicated that it is rare that GAO‟s recommendations are not fol-lowed. Referring to the debate over 109-461 and its directive that VA „shall‟put SDVOSB first for Department procurements, Chairman Johnson asked Mr. White a critical question about GAO‟s recommendations to VA: ( @ 1:33 ) “What is your interpretation of the word ‘shall?’” Mr. White drew laughter from the galleries when he responded: “It certainly isn’t ‘may.’”

The VA must respond to GAO’s recommendations and its rationale for rejecting their recommendations by December 15. Testifying witnesses included: Thomas J. Leney, Executive Director, Small and Veteran Business Programs, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; John H. “Jack” Thompson, Deputy General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Gregory D. Kutz, Forensic Audits and Investigative Service, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Ralph O. White, Managing Associate General Counsel for Procurement Law, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Government Accountability Office.

VetLikeMe is produced by BluePoint Productions, Frederick, Maryland.
For further information, contact Hardy Stone, 301-845-1330
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VetLikeMe (VLM) is a publication focused entirely on service-disabled veteran owned business.  We feature National news that affects our community, interviews with federal government officials and agencies, legislative activities at the State level and editorial opinion.

Launched in October 2009, VLM is published by BluePoint Productions, a non-profit business certified and verified by the  Veterans Administration as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

Hardy R. Stone, the sole proprietor of BluePoint Productions, is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran (SDVOSB).

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This is a public service announcement (PSA) brought to you by Veteran Owned Business.   Veteran Owned Business is in no way affiliated with the above organization(s). We do not in any way endorse the above business/organization or guarantee the above offer.  VeteranOwnedBusiness.com and the Veteran Owned Business Directory are simply providing information we feel is of interest to veterans, active duty military, reservists, service disabled veterans, veteran owned businesses, service disabled veteran owned businesses, families of veterans, families of our armed forces and any other person or persons directly or indirectly involved with the United States military.

If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled  veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

The September-October 2011 VetLikeMe SDVOSB Newsletter (Volume 2, No. 5) is now available for viewing.

In this issue: Fraud Prevention Act Moves to House – S. 633 Requires Agencies to Verify SDVOSB Status. (Washington, DC — SDVOSB News Services, September 22, 2011) — The “Small Business Contracting Fraud Prevention Act of 2011” (S. 633) was passed by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepre-neurship with unanimous consent on September 21. The bill mandates that all federal agencies verify SDVOSB status through the Veterans Administration‟s VetBiz database of certified SDVOSB. All federal Contracting Officers would verify SDVOSB status of businesses that bid on government contracts before con-tracts are awarded… click here to view entire issue.

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VetLikeMe (VLM) is a publication focused entirely on service-disabled veteran owned business.  We feature National news that affects our community, interviews with federal government officials and agencies, legislative activities at the State level and editorial opinion.

Launched in October 2009, VLM is published by BluePoint Productions, a non-profit business certified and verified by the  Veterans Administration as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

Hardy R. Stone, the sole proprietor of BluePoint Productions, is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran (SDVOSB).

The following newsletters require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download from adobe.com.

Current VetLikeMe Issue:

September – October 2011 VetLikeMe

Archived VetLikeMe Issues:

July – August 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

May – June 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

March – April 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

November – December 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

July – August 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

May – June 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

March – April 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

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This is a public service announcement (PSA) brought to you by Veteran Owned Business.   Veteran Owned Business is in no way affiliated with the above organization(s). We do not in any way endorse the above business/organization or guarantee the above offer.  VeteranOwnedBusiness.com and the Veteran Owned Business Directory are simply providing information we feel is of interest to veterans, active duty military, reservists, service disabled veterans, veteran owned businesses, service disabled veteran owned businesses, families of veterans, families of our armed forces and any other person or persons directly or indirectly involved with the United States military.

If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled  veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

The July-August 2011 VetLikeMe SDVOSB Newsletter (Volume 2, No. 4) is now available for viewing.

VetLikeMe (VLM) is a publication focused entirely on service-disabled veteran owned business.  We feature National news that

affects our community, interviews with federal government officials and agencies, legislative activities at the State level and editorial opinion.

Launched in October 2009, VLM is published by BluePoint Productions, a non-profit business certified and verified by the  Veterans Administration as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

Hardy R. Stone, the sole proprietor of BluePoint Productions, is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran (SDVOSB).

The following newsletters require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download from adobe.com.

Current VetLikeMe Issue:

July – August 2011 VetLikeMe

Archived VetLikeMe Issues:

May – June 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

March – April 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

November – December 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

July – August 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

May – June 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

March – April 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

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If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

The May – June 2011 Issue (Volume 2, No. 3) of VetLikeMe (VLM) is now available for viewing.

VetLikeMe (VLM) is a publication focused entirely on service-disabled veteran owned business.  We feature National news that

affects our community, interviews with federal government officials and agencies, legislative activities at the State level and editorial opinion.

Launched in October 2009, VLM is published by BluePoint Productions, a non-profit business certified and verified by the Veterans Administration as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

Hardy R. Stone, the sole proprietor of BluePoint Productions, is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran (SDVOSB).

The following newsletters require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download from adobe.com.

Current VetLikeMe Issue:

May – June 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

Archived VetLikeMe Issues:

March – April 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

November – December 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

July – August 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

May – June 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

March – April 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

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If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

The March – April 2011 issue of VetLikeMe (VLM) is now available for viewing.

VetLikeMe (VLM) is a publication focused entirely on service-disabled veteran owned business.  We feature National news that

affects our community, interviews with federal government officials and agencies, legislative activities at the State level and editorial opinion.

Launched in October 2009, VLM is published by BluePoint Productions, a non-profit business certified and verified by the Veterans Administration as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

Hardy R. Stone, the sole proprietor of BluePoint Productions, is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran (SDVOSB).

The following newsletters requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download from adobe.com.

Current VetLikeMe Issue:

March – April 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

Archived VetLikeMe Issues:

January – February 2011 VetLikeMe Newsletter

November – December 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

July – August 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

May – June 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

March – April 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

January – February 2010 VetLikeMe Newsletter

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If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

The January – February 2011 issue of VetLikeMe (VLM) is now available for viewing.

VetLikeMe (VLM) is a publication focused entirely on service-disabled veteran owned business.  We feature National news that affects our community, interviews with federal government officials and agencies, legislative activities at the State level and editorial opinion.

Launched in October 2009, VLM is published by BluePoint Productions, a non-profit business certified and verified by the Veterans Administration as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

Hardy R. Stone, the sole proprietor of BluePoint Productions, is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran.

The following newsletters requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download from adobe.com.

Current VetLikeMe Issue:

January – February 2011 Newsletter

Archived VetLikeMe Issues:

November – December 2010 Newsletter

July – August 2010 Newsletter

May – June 2010 Newsletter

March – April 2010 Newsletter

January – February 2010 Newsletter

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If your business is (or you know of another business) owned by a veteran (VOB), active duty military, reservist or service disabled veteran (SDVOSB) of the United States, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard or National Guard, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

The objective of our FREE Veteran Owned Business Directory is to continue to offer a growing list of products and services that are unique in the fact that they are all owned by, sold by and/or serviced by past and present military members.

Vet Like Me

Vet Like Me is a bi-monthly newsletter written by and for service-disabled veteran owned Businesses (SDVOB). We gather news and information from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration, the Senate and House Committees on small business and many veterans service organizations nationwide.  Also featured are updates and announcements regarding OSDBU conferences, special events and important notices. If interested, join our mailing list at bluepoint1@comcast.net.  In the subject line enter “add to mailing list.”

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VeteranOwnedBusiness.com and the Veteran Owned Business Directory are in no way affiliated with the above business or organization.  We do not in any way endorse the above business or guarantee the above offer.  Please address any questions to the aforementioned business for more information about their program.  VeteranOwnedBusiness.com and the Veteran Owned Business Directory are simply providing information we feel is of interest to veterans, active duty military, reservists, service disabled veterans, veteran owned businesses, service disabled veteran owned businesses, families of veterans, families of our armed forces and any other person or persons directly or indirectly involved with the United States military.

BluePoint Productions Details:
“BluePoint Productions, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, provides communications solutions for government and commercial operations. Our management team has more than thirty years experience with both internal and external communication programs.  Our products include communications planning and strategy, media relations, communications product development, production and events management.”

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If you are the owner of a business and are a current or past member of the United States armed forces, please be sure to visit the VeteranOwnedBusiness.com sign up page to get your free listing.

Thank You,

Project Services Department
VeteranOwnedBusiness.com