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InfoBase Relaunches Our FedBizOpps Service With a New Name—FBO Pro™
Dear DACIS Subscribers,
Of all the new products we've launched at DACIS, FedBizOpps has been the least understood. "You're aware of the fbo.gov site, right?" some subscribers asked us when we rolled it out, back in 2008. "Why are you trying to compete with free?"
Truth was, we were more interested in integrating it than competing with it. This big, dynamic window into the procurement cycle would gain a dimension of usefulness as part of DACIS that it lacked standing apart.
So we went ahead with the integration, made FedBizOpps a modestly-priced addition to our Professional service, and stood back while it sold and sold. It's still selling.
Thus the story from 2008 to the present day. But in seven years the service had begun to show its age. So we've redesigned our FedBizOpps module, added some great new features, and re-launched it as FBO Pro™. Here's what's new:
  • We've integrated Protest information from the GAO website. Whether a procurement is protested during the competition phase or post-award, we catch it. When it's ruled on, we report it right away. And we link it throughout DACIS. Check out the view from Contracts. From Sitewide Search (scroll down, you'll see entries under the Contracts and FBO Pro™ headers).  And of course from FBO Pro™ itself.
  • The new Command Center. Every Alert you set up comes with a Command Center. Here you can see just how much traffic an Alert has been generating since it was established, including an average of hits per day.  With one click you can see all the hits your Alert has generated. You can even see which search terms were responsible for which hits. In short, the Command Center lets you know that your Alerts can be relied on to deliver the vital and timely intelligence you require.
  • Contextual help. "With great power comes great responsibility", Peter Parker was famously told by his Uncle Ben in the first Spiderman movie. For us, explaining the powerful things you can do with FBO Pro™ meant adding in plenty of contextual help. Try it out. It won't nearly take as long as it took us to get it just right.
  • A much improved ability to select Customers. Predictive typing meets organizational hierarchy. 'Nuff said.
In closing, a few words about design.
Today we've rolled out not just FBO Pro™ but a redesign of our Companies module.  Both services sport a fluid new interface and a simpler, uncluttered design. This look is going to be propagating across our other modules.  Contracts will be next, then Programs, Customers, and DoD Budget (DM&A, Advance, and the Focus modules already have new search engines).
There's plenty of great stuff coming in 2015. In the meantime, enjoy FBO Pro™. It's proof that free is good, but better is better.
Best regards,

Stuart McCutchan
President
InfoBase Publishers, Inc.
Feb. 16, 2015
DATE
Feb 16, 2015
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