10 Best Practices to consider as your SBIR negotiations approach contract signature:

1. Draft your confirmation of negotiations, be sure to memorialize that this is an SBIR type contract along with the applicable data rights and SBIR related terms and conditions.

2. Firm up the actual start date. There is not time to waste, everyday counts when your program's duration is only 6 or 9 months long!

3. Get into order system entry mode. A quick entry into the system assures no loss of valuable time in job performance!

4. Get your Julian calendar out. Convert relative days (i.e. 180 days after ?) to actual dates. Don't only use your CDRL's to extract due dates, some deliverables may be embedded in the SOW, schedule or term of your contract!

5. Don't forget to inform your IP dept (or whoever keeps track of your IP) what IP arrangements were negotiated. (If your company does not already co-locate this information in one central place, start organizing it now!) Documenting the evolution of your IP is critical to maintaining data rights.

6. Work out charge numbers with your accounting/finance department.

7. If applicable, close out any pre-contract cost charge numbers so you can effectively segregate the charges. This is an unlikely occurrence in the SBIR world, but still worth noting.

8. Start your subcontracting and consulting activities immediately, especially if they are starting the work at the same time as you or shortly thereafter. The race is on to get those PO's and subcontracts issued! With a short program duration, as in the case of an SBIR, there is not much time to get subs and consultant work going.

9. Communicate any security issues with your security officer/department.

10. Start organizing the volume of paper you have piled up during the life of this proposal and negotiation. If you don't do it now, you may never!

Lisa DeMaio is the president and founder of Virtual Contract Manager, LLC, which is a one-stop "information shop" for and about the Contract Management Community and the SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) Program. Let Virtual Contract Manager coach you on how to integrate the SBIR program into your existing business. Come visit Virtual Contract Manager and get a wealth of FREE SBIR information on our Free Articles Page and to sign up for our content-rich monthly newsletter which features one article a month on the SBIR program. Let Virtual Contract Manager help you tap the federal market and help fund your research or innovative technology. http://www.virtualcontractmanager.com/