Pre-Proposal GCV Conference

The Army has announced it will host a pre-proposal conference addressing the Ground Combat Vehicle request for proposals issued Monday, according to a notice posted today on Federal Business Opportunities.

The conference has been scheduled for Dec. 16 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn, MI.

"Attendance at the GCV TD Phase Pre-Proposal Conference is recommended for only those who intend to submit a proposal in response to the GCV Request for Proposal (RFP); however, attendance is neither required nor a pre-requisite for proposal submission and will not be considered in the evaluation," according to a separate notice posted on the Army's contracting website. "This is not a conference to convey general GCV program information. Only those firms seriously considering submitting a proposal to the Government should attend."

According to the notice, firms will be allowed to submit questions prior to the conference and have them addressed at the event.

"The majority of these questions will be addressed at the conference, time permitting," the notice states. However, "no verbal questions will be allowed at the conference."

Paul Mehney, spokesman for Army integration, said the conference would provide a forum for industry to discuss the RFP with service officials.

"The focus is clarify any issues that industry has questions on in our request for proposal," he said. "It's also to ensure that the government has clearly communicated its intent to the contractors in order to receive responsive proposals from industry by the Jan. 21. deadline."

Mehney also said the conference was an opportunity to the Army to provide industry with "confidence in the acquisition process and the acquisition strategy that has been laid out."

He said generals and civilians from Army leadership would likely be in attendance but did not know who.