Norcal APEX Accelerator
Reach High Solutions
“Thanks to Norcal APEX Accelerator’s support, we successfully secured a contract with BART for on-site drug and alcohol collections, marking a significant achievement for Reach High Solutions. I am profoundly thankful to the APEX Accelerator program for its dedication to small minority-owned businesses like ours, which has made a lasting impact on our journey to success.”
| Reach High Solutions is a women-owned small business based out of Alameda, California established in 2020 offering laboratory testing and analysis. Linda Wilson II, President, attended Norcal APEX Accelerator’s certification overview event during the 2023 Women in Construction Week series and knew that she wanted to get connected for help with certifications and much more. Since Reach High Solutions was already connected with BART as a subcontractor, they knew that they were qualified and ready to become a prime contractor but also knew that there was more to learn. That’s where Norcal APEX Accelerator stepped in to help. Less than a month later, she met with a procurement counselor to begin the certification process and review an RFP for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). |
challenges
Alongside registering with local city, county, and transportation agencies, Reach High Solutions needed to work on certifications to put them in the best possible position to bid on the BART RFP. In addition to this, proposal writing is a challenge all its own, with nuances for each section and even cost proposals required by this RFP. Another hurdle that all contractors must face is properly marketing their business to government agencies. Reach High Solutions had some experience with this through subcontracting but needed additional guidance to present themselves as a reliable and competent Prime contractor.
actions
Once Linda had applied for services, she began working with her Norcal APEX Accelerator Counselor on the registrations that Reach High Solutions would need for the BART RFP and beyond. This included a Cal eProcure registration in addition to vendor registrations with local counties, cities, and transportation agencies. Reach High Solutions then began the certification process for the CA Small Business (CA SB) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) to increase their competitiveness within the government market. With these certifications processing, Reach High Solutions could now focus on the details of the BART proposal.
Linda met with her Norcal APEX Accelerator counselor frequently to review the solicitation, draft the proposal, and finalize the bid to be submitted. This included everything from table of contents development to thinking through the firm’s approach and team roles for the project. They also took advantage of Govology services, a database of government contracting training, to create their cost proposal for the BART solicitation. Reach High Solutions worked through this proposal meticulously with the guidance of Norcal APEX Accelerator every step of the way. Their hard work paid off when they received a request to meet 2 days after they submitted their proposal. With the proposal in review, Reach High Solutions had to put its best foot forward and turned to Norcal APEX Accelerator to prepare for the meetings with BART. Linda met with her counselor throughout the review period for help with the requested documentation for the RFP and preparing for oral interviews. All the while, Reach High Solutions was also working on updating their capabilities statement with their new certifications, applying for the Supplier Clearinghouse Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certification, and looking forward to networking with other agencies at upcoming in-person events.
results
With Norcal APEX Accelerator’s expertise guiding them, Reach High Solutions received CA SB, DBE, and WBE certifications to increase their competitiveness and developed a winning proposal and presentation, earning them a multi-year contract with BART for breath and urine collection services. With bolstered confidence and Norcal APEX Accelerator in their corner, Reach High Solutions is on track and continues to meet with their counselor to fine-tune their government contracting skills and find more opportunities for success.
If you have more questions, please contact us at info@norcalptac.org or (707) 267 – 7561
