Responsible for providing acquisition and contract support services including:

• Market Research: Conducting market research and preparing reports on current market conditions; developing source list for acquisitions utilizing a multitude of contractual vehicles (e.g., GSA Schedules, Government Wide Area Contracts (GWACs)); collecting, gathering, analyzing, and reporting on current market conditions 
• Acquisition Plan Initiation: Coordinating with applicable GSA officials and the Requiring Activity and initiating the preparation of Acquisition Plans 
• Comparative Review and Analysis:  Conducting comparative review and analysis of labor category descriptions and preparing reports of its findings
• Within Scope Analysis: Performing within scope analysis and providing recommendations
• Technical Evaluation Plans (TEPs): Reviewing TEPs submitted by the Requiring Activity for completeness and clarity, and providing a report on its findings
• Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCEs):  Reviewing IGCEs to ensure completeness and clarity
• Task Order Closeout Assistance: Assisting the GSA with management and documentation of task order closeouts
• Contract Monitoring: Monitoring performance/delivery of services/commodities and reporting to the Government of any outstanding issues
• Programmatic/Financial Reporting: Preparing reports needed to gauge the Region’s progress against key programmatic, acquisition, and financial performance measures
• Statement of Work Preparation: Preparing statements of work (SOW)
• Funding Logs: Developing and monitoring funding logs for tasks, monitoring contract burn rates and other key funding measures, and verifying availability of funds
• Funding Document Processing: Processing funding documents in accordance with the Regional acceptance policy
• Contract Identification (ID) Numbers: Managing various contract ID number logs
• Invoice Processing: Coordinating with clients on the review/acceptance of invoices in accordance with the Regional policy
• Budgetary Reports: Assisting in the preparation of financial and budgetary reports
• Acquisition Compliance: Assisting in identifying potential compliance problem areas and deficiencies and recommending strategies to facilitate compliance; critiquing and providing substantive recommendations to improve compliance procedures; assisting in the development of lessons learned and recommending an action plan to improve the organization’s overall acquisition process
• Incremental Funding: Assisting in the preparation and processing of incremental funding documents
• Findings and Determination: Assisting in the determination of the most suitable contract type (Labor Hours, Time and Materials, etc.) to be utilized in the acquisition
• Familiarly and Ability to Interact with various Federal Agencies: Performing duties to include: the consistent preparation and delivery of exceptional documents, justifications for award, presentations, etc.
• Miscellaneous Programmatic Support Activities: Assembling various paper and electronic files, organizing electronic documents, and spreadsheets; preparing various correspondences and spreadsheets; assisting in the preparation; updating of various organizational memorandum, letters, spreadsheets, and briefing

Mr. Hardik Bhatt
Chief Information Officer

Prime: Technisource Inc.

Contact: Vicky Lawton

• Interviewed senior management within the department to indentify activities and project completed during the past three years and potential benefits
• Developed benefits analysis documenting estimated economic benefits to the City of Chicago and its citizens
• Developed presentation and written reports documenting the benefits, assumptions, etc.
• Developed net present value economic evaluation framework to compute the economic benefits of information technology projects

For each audit indicated, Stratus:

• Office of Accountability (OA): Assessed the performance of various programs within the OA with respect to cost and performance objectives
• Network: Performed diagnostic assessment of the network security capabilities and security risk to the client’s information technology infrastructure (mainframe and distributed (LAN/WAN) systems)
  • The audit included an assessment of procedures and policies, firewall and filtering capabilities, a review of emergency planning, disaster recovery capabilities, and an assessment of staff qualifications.
• Purchasing: Participated in a detailed assessment of the client’s method of operations and controls used to transact purchases and execute contracts
  • The audit included an assessment of the organizational structure, supporting information systems, procedures and policies, diversity inclusion program, and overall performance.
• Payroll: Participated in a detailed assessment of the client’s method of operations and controls used to process employee payroll
  • The audit including all aspects of the payroll process including, processing of personnel information within Legacy systems, attendance reporting in a Kronos based system, payroll processing, information systems analysis of Legacy systems consisting of IBM and Unisys mainframe, Y2K compliance, payroll distribution, and payroll auditing services.

Stratus:

• Analyzed the CPS social services cost
• Segmented cost to mandated and non-mandated services categories
• Determined the level and efficiency that CPS was providing these services
• Identified where similar services were being provided outside of CPS
• Developed recommendations to reduce CPS’ obligation by partnering with outside service communities, improving information technology infrastructure, and by outsourcing

As a result of this study, we identified potential savings of approximately $15 to $25 million.

Provided facilities management consulting services to improve the overall operating and procurement performance of the Facility Management Department

Stratus:

• Developed budget to increase preventative maintenance expenditures
• Developed user and technology specification for a work order system to implement and monitor service delivery
• Developed solicitation for the procurement of janitorial and security services
• Developed operating manuals for auxiliary services provided by the Facility Management Department, including the Copy Center, Mailroom, and Audio/Visual services
• Assessed Fleet (automobile) Services and developed recommendations to reduce cost

Stratus helped the FM department deliver approximately $500,000 in cost savings and improved service delivery with the installation of an automated work order system.

Stratus evaluated the following as part of its responsibilities in the  diagnostic assessment::

• Spend data
• Existing supplier base
• CPS’ method of operation versus industry best practices
• Current and future technology
• Procurement process and proposed process improvements
• Estimated cost savings based on assessments

At the conclusion of the study, Stratus contributed to an assessment that indicated a potentially saving of $60 million or approximately 15% of the total spend

Stratus:

• Developed training materials
• Presented information to senior management
• Provided in-depth training concerning first phase of performance budgeting concerning developing balance objectives that align with organization goals
• Held breakout sessions with individual departments to create tangible organizational objectives that align with agency goals
• Assisted with establishing departmental objectives and targets
• Assisted the client in developing a presentation to senior management

The RTA is evaluating the full implementation of the performance budgeting and scorecard techniques based on results of this project.

Provided high-level organizational assessment aimed at improving the overall operating and procurement performance of the Facility Management Department, including build-out, maintenance, reprographics, security, audio, mail couriers, etc.

Stratus:

• Interviewed senior management and critical stakeholders
• Mapped the current service delivery process
• Identified concerns with the existing process
• Assessed departmental spend data
• Evaluated project documentation
• Assessed performance based on established measures

Stratus:

• Extracted and segmented spend data
• Defined user requirements based on usage and applications
• Identified potential suppliers in the market
• Consolidated user requirements based general applications
• Developed a formal Request for Proposal based on the spend data and user requirements
• Developed a commodity sourcing strategy based on spend, complexity of the supplier market, and overall risk of the commodity to operations
• Assessed RFP submittals and recommends final supplier pool
• Assisted with suppliers assessment and selection
• Computed final cost savings
• Defined and implemented performance measures

CPS achieved an annual cost savings of approximately $12 million based on an annual spend of $40 million in equipment commodities. This project was considered one of CPS’ major success stories for the year.

Stratus:

• Conducted interviews with Lilly senior management and staff to identify areas of concern or with significant potential for MBE sourcing
• Performed business evaluation with respect to performance and cost, including mapping processes and benchmarking cost
• Performed detail cost analysis and computing potential cost savings with the implementation of new technology, processes, and consolidation or privatization activities
• Identified significant business concepts for MBE development or formation
• Developed all administrative reports and presentations
• Implemented a sourcing methodology that was conductive to the formation of a significant MBE

Eli Lilly received a management consulting evaluation that identified million of dollars in cost savings and a portfolio of six (6) significant MBE development opportunities. Upon implementation of the Print Management and Desktop opportunities, Eli Lilly achieved approximately $9 million in cost savings and significantly increased its MBE sourcing with the implementation of IT Services.