This sample shows how IDCI plans a small business inclusion program for a major construction program. It presents pages from a program plan we prepared and describes what the plan makes possible.
This excerpt comes from a delivered engagement. A construction manager on a major airport construction program had to run a small business program across every bid package, with a participation goal of 25 percent of construction spend. We replaced the sponsor’s name with a placeholder and removed its policy appendix before publishing these pages.
1 · Our approach
Commitments first
The plan opens with the program goals, the certifications it accepts, and the measures by which the sponsor will judge it.
Services with owners
Each program service carries a defined set of activities and a named role responsible for them.
Disciplined Project Management
One diagram shows how the program team, the project team, small firms, and the information systems work together on every bid package.
Information Systems Expertise
We design data capture from the start, so utilization reports draw on records kept as the work happens.
Business Acumen
The plan addresses the perceptions that discourage small firms from competing, including size, bonding capacity, cash flow, and experience.
2 · The work product — excerpt
The plan sets out the program purpose, six service areas with their activities and responsible roles, the program flow, and the evaluation and reporting that close the plan.
Program plan
View only. Use the arrows, the thumbnails, or your arrow keys to turn the pages; on a phone, swipe.
The excerpt pages are available for viewing at idcinc.net/worksamples/small-business-program-plan.html and are not reproduced in print.
3 · What the sponsor gains
✓
Early awareness. Small firms learn of real opportunities early and receive support at each step from bid to performance.
✓
Reporting at any point. The sponsor can report utilization against its goals from data captured as the work proceeds.
✓
Clear roles. The program team, the project team, and the participating firms each know their part in every bid package.
4 · How we work, and what we will not do
Program plan
Goals, services, responsibilities, and reporting in one controlled document.
Program flow
A diagram that follows each bid package from recruitment through award, onboarding, and reporting.
Reporting data set
The data each service area captures and the reports the sponsor receives.
What we will not do
We do not treat outreach events as the whole program, and we do not count participation that the records cannot support.
Questions about any of this?
If your program carries a small business participation goal, the fastest way through is a conversation. Bring the goal, the bid packages, or the part of this sample you want tested. Thirty minutes is usually enough to establish whether we are the right fit for the work.