Verification May 18, 2011

Posted by paladinlogic in Business, General.
Tags: CVE, sdvosb, VA, verification, VOB
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We are pleased to announce that Paladin Logic has received official notice of the verification of its status as a service disabled veteran owned small business (SDVOSB).

After an arduous process of documenting not only that Paladin Logic is majority-owned by a disabled veteran, but also that day-to-day operational control is exercised by the disabled veteran and after months of review, we are happy and proud to receive this notice.

So, what does it all mean?

Well, so far Paladin Logic’s status as a SDVOSB has had no impact on our business.  No positive impact, that is.   We have spent more than a little time, energy, and money to provide extensive documentation to the CVE.

The rationale is that Washington, D.C. – and some state governments – create procurement “set-asides” for various groups.  Service disabled veterans are one such group.  Heretofore, companies self-certified as SDVOSBs.  The penalty for fraudulently claiming to be an SDVOSB is disbarment (i.e. not allowed to do business with the government) for up to 5 years.

Guess what?

Yep, the (empty, hollow, …) threat of disbarment did not deter not only non-disabled veterans from self-certifying as SDVOSBs, but also non-veterans.  Many veterans of my acquaintance have suggested much more creative penalties than disbarment for such frauds.  For example, it is very easy to mistake the word “dismemberment”" for the word “disbarment”.

But I digress.

Like all SDVOSBs, Paladin Logic’s tap root runs deep in the DoD and therefore, by derivation, the national government.  So, the government – especially the DoD (the folks who create “service disabled veterans”) -  would seem to be a natural market for Paladin Logic.

And it is.

But the government is a very expensive creature with whom (to try) to do business.  Recall the “long, arduous process” for verification mentioned above?  Imagine that process on ‘roids and you get a vague notion of what it takes to win a government contract – and survive the inevitable challenges.   And that is for a company that is located within the sprawling Washington, D.C. metromegalapoplexium!

For those of us in fly-over country, it is a long, uphill assault against an entrenched enemy … err … competitor …

“Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for? “

– Gimli

So, although Paladin Logic is open to working on government contracts – as a prime or a sub-contractor, to actively and ardently pursue such business is far too risky a strategy.  It would be a death of a thousand (paper) cuts.  The time and energy taken away from productive activities and spent on endless and lengthy responses to RFQs, RFPs, RFIs, etc. bleeds that time, energy, and capital out of a business.

As an EMT of my acquaintance once told me: “all bleeding stops … eventually”.

As more and more time and resources are poured into  that sort of vain exercise, it is easy to start believing that what is sought is really owed.   Down that road lies envy and anger and the black abyss of entitlement thinking.

Into such a place goeth we not.

Once Paladin Logic is an established, successful enterprise we may be able to afford to try to do work for the national government.  We shall see.

All of that said, we are delighted to have received our verification from the VA.

To any contracting officers out there reading this … we willingly will accept a sole source SDVOSB for anything we do … or can do!  Pick up the phone … give us a call …

More anon …