Report Answers Questions on Stimulus Contracting

/PRNewswire/ -- State and Federal Communications, Inc. - which provides government compliance information and consulting - is sharing a report on government stimulus contracting to help companies and others stay compliant with state laws.

To read a free copy, go to www.stateandfed.com/stimulus.asp.

"Because this is an unprecedented stimulus package, with billions of dollars in government contracts at stake, many companies and their representatives who are seeking these stimulus contracts have never before been involved in the government procurement process," said Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications. "They must proceed with caution."

Citing one of many examples, Bartz pointed out sales and business development professionals might not realize they must register as lobbyists in many jurisdictions. Furthermore, they might not know about restrictions on gifts and other activities that could, if even unintentionally violated, result in penalties, prosecution, and elimination from consideration of contract awards.

States will distribute a large portion of the stimulus money, which comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Unfortunately, no two states have the same procedures, making it difficult for companies to determine what each state allows in regard to obtaining contracts.

The State and Federal Communications document - researched and developed by the firm's in-house staff of government compliance attorneys - is broken down by state and includes:

-- An overview of the process for procuring stimulus contracts, including
information on vendor registration, open solicitations, certification,
and RFIs, RFQs, and RFPs;
-- Which state department or agency is overseeing stimulus contract
awards, and contact information for that agency;
-- How the particular state defines "executive branch lobbying," which is
important to know because how the state defines lobbying will dictate
whether company representatives need to register as lobbyists before
seeking a stimulus contract;
-- What, if any, specific restrictions each state has on attempts to
obtain stimulus contracts; and
-- Whether lobbying for stimulus contracts affects political
contributions a company or individual might make.

"We provide similar kinds of information - and much more in the areas of lobbying laws and political contributions - to our clients every day. However, we decided to share this special report publicly because of the unprecedented breadth of the stimulus package, the amount of money involved, and the large number of companies seeking contracts," Bartz said.

The company released the report for "our loyal clients and also for companies that might not know about the unique information and consulting services we provide. We also hope our report helps increase transparency in the procurement process for these stimulus funds," Bartz said.

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