Get Involved with Rock Island Arsenal and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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By Troy Robbins, Deputy for Small Business Programs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rock Island Arsenal

One of the Iowa APEX Accelerator’s best Federal friends is at Rock Island Arsenal in the Small Business office for the Army Corps of Engineers…Troy Robbins! Troy is a huge advocate for small businesses, regularly sends out updates for upcoming opportunities, and gets businesses plugged into what’s happening at the Corps of Engineers. We wanted to highlight how to do business with them and what’s coming up this year.

 

How would YOU prefer businesses work with you? What must they do, and how can they best prepare to meet with you?

Simply just reach out to me by phone or email.  I love meeting with contractors and getting to know them, and it’s my favorite part of the job.  Keep in contact with me throughout the year to update me on any changes in your business.  Timing is everything in this business.  Attend Industry Days, conferences, etc., that I am attending and get in front of me.  I talk to a lot of people, so being consistent helps tremendously.

Ideally, before meeting with me, businesses have established their Cage Code, know their socio-economic categories, secured bonding, and have a capability statement they can send me.  It is very clear when a business has been working with an APEX Accelerator because they are well prepared and ready to rock and roll.

 

How could a subcontractor connect to some Primes working with the Corps?

Network, Network, Network!!!  Look for opportunities to attend an Industry Day, conference, Meet and Greet, training, socials, and so on to network with other companies.  Build relationships with Small Business Deputies so you can develop an understanding with them of the opportunities you are searching for.  I always look for opportunities to introduce subcontractors to potential Primes.  I work with all types of contractors and have a good understanding of what they are looking for in subcontractors.  Building that network also helps me when I get a call from a Prime struggling to find a subcontractor to meet their subcontracting goals.

 

Our clients always want to get involved with projects our local Army Corps of Engineers manages. Can you list some of the ongoing/big projects that they regularly work on here?

  • The Rock Island District Corps of Engineers provides various ongoing projects every year.  I encourage businesses to attend Industry Days and events to see the brief of the District’s opportunities.  Below is a highlight of those opportunities.
  • Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) is an ongoing program, usually Small Business Set Aside.  PL84-99 Rehabilitation program is another program that utilizes Small Businesses as much as possible.
  • The 88th R&D program consists of 5-8 projects each year that include building renovations and repairs.   The acquisition strategy for this program is 8(a) Sole Source.
  • Cedar Rapids Flood Risk Management has been an excellent opportunity for Small Businesses to compete.  There are multiple upcoming opportunities within the next few years.
  • Every year we have opportunities with Operations and Maintenance on the Mississippi River and the Illinois Waterway.  We have three lakes (Saylorville, Lake Red Rock, and Coralville) that have opportunities each year for janitorial, fee attendants, mowing, paving, buildings, upgrades, etc.
  • We also have Flood Risk Management projects, Navigation & Structural, Civil, Channel, & Ecosystem Restoration, Emergency Management Supply, etc.
  • Our major projects consist of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project and the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) which will be ongoing over the next several years.

 

Do you have any upcoming events you’d like to share with us, where businesses can potentially connect to you and Primes doing business with the RIACE?

The next few months are filled with the following upcoming events that I will be attending and briefing.

 

Any other best practices you recommend or words of advice?

  • Continue to analyze your organization’s strengths and weaknesses so you can become the best version of yourself.  This includes asking for constructive feedback from other companies, SBA, Small Business Deputies, Contracting Officer Representatives (COR), subcontractors, APEX Accelerators, and your employees.
  • Be intentional in searching for and developing trust-based relationships with industry partners.  Relationships are a massive key to success in business.  Building a relationship with Small Business Deputies is critical to your success as well.  Speaking for myself, I look for businesses that are honest and upfront with me about their strengths, weaknesses, issues, and concerns.  This provides me with a better picture of what projects to suggest they target.  My job is to find a win-win situation for the government and industry.  If the Corps of Engineers has a completed project and you have completed the project successfully, then it’s a win-win!!
  • Do not be afraid to ask questions to ensure you understand the requirements the government is expecting.  Seek opportunities to perform capability briefings to showcase your company.  And when you have an opportunity to brief make sure you connect it with opportunities within that district.
  • Develop a mindset of being open to suggestions, feedback, and lessons learned.  You would be amazed at how many companies do not take feedback and constructive criticism.
  • Consistently keep in touch with Small Business Deputies keeping them updated on your capabilities, socio-economic status, bonding, etc.  Also, remember that most of us are an office of one.  Sometimes we get so buried in work that it takes time to get back to people, and some things slip through the cracks.  So, I encourage you to continue to reach out because timing is everything with us.  Requirements can pop up last minute that don’t make it on a forecast.  By being consistent, your firm will be on the top of its mind when suggesting companies for opportunities.

For further information, visit: https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Business-With-Us/Small-Business/

 

For more information, contact your CIRAS Government Contracting Specialist or complete our Request for Counseling form.