“Marketing to the Government” workshop a success
May 17, 2012 by cs
Eighty business people participated in a half-day workshop at Georgia Tech on May 16th, taking advantage of expert instruction on how to market to the federal government.
“Victory in Procurement: Marketing to the Government” was co-sponsored by American Express OPEN and The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech.
The workshop was led by Denise Rodriguez-Lopez, an American Express OPEN Advisor on Government Contracting. She provided practical guidance to participants on how to put together both a two-minute elevator speech as well as a written Capabilities Statement. When put to use, both of these marketing techniques are designed to effectively convey an entrepreneur’s experience and expertise. Attendees also received a sample Capabilities Statement, written instructions for constructing an elevator speech, and worksheets for creating a marketing strategy.
A panel, consisting of successful business leaders and government decision-makers, provided workshop attendees with insights into how the government contracting process works. The panelists included Tina Baker, president and CEO of the Cadence Group; Lesa Adeboyé, CEO and founder of The Alliance Group, Inc.; JoAnn Braxton, Business Development Specialist with the Georgia District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration; and Gwen Miles, Small Business Specialist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The panelists interacted with the audience, providing feedback on marketing techniques that work and crtitiques of individual elevator speeches that were crafted by workshop participants.
Information also was provided to participants on the services provided by the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center and the professional education courses offered by The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech.
Respect for People: Raising the value of your most important assets
March 22, 2012 by cs
Join Georgia Tech for the annual Lean Consortium event and learn about the evolution of lean from the factory floor to human development. This year’s seminar focuses on becoming more competitive by incorporating the Harada method into your organization through linking the development of people to your organization’s success.
Lean Consortium Event Details:
Respect for People
Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (registration begins at 9:00 a.m.)
Location: Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway
Price: $295*
Keynote Speaker: Norman Bodek
*If you have 5 or more from the same company, the group rate is $240 per seat. Contact Tim Israel to secure multiple seats at this rate.
Seminar Topics:
The Harada Method: strengthening leaders to inspire employees to develop success goals and work out the detail plans necessary for attaining them
Understanding and Incorporating the human side of Lean
Turning managers into active coaches to build a winning team
Benefits of Attending:
Understand ways to grow employees to make your company more competitive
Learn to empower and involve employees in the improvement process
Discover ways to enhance communication throughout the organization
Speaker:
After 18 years working with Data Processing companies, Norman Bodek founded the publishing, consulting, and training firm PCS Press Inc., where he is working to broaden the implementation of lean from the production floor to the entire enterprise. He is an author of over 100 Japanese management books on tools for continuous improvement. Norman is an accomplished presenter, having led numerous seminars, conference sessions, and training events on many continuous improvement subjects. He is also co-founder of the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence.
SBA, Georgia Tech host summit for young entrepreneurs
March 20, 2012 by cs
On Tuesday, Mar. 27, 2012, Georgia Tech is hosting an event entitled “Young Entrepreneur Summit,” bringing together leading young business people, youth advocacy organizations, and government experts to listen to and address critical challenges and formulate public policy changes needed to move young entrepreneurs’ business agenda to the next level.
This event will be held athe Georgia Tech Research Institute’s conference center, located at 250 – 14th Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30308.
For more details on and to register for this event, please visit http://sba-young-entrepreneur-summit.eventbrite.com/.
This event is sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Feb. 29th was special day for businesses seeking Homeland Security work
March 6, 2012 by cs
It’s not every year that Leap Year comes around, and this Feb. 29th proved to be extra special for 80 Georgia businesses.
On Feb. 29, 2012, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducted a Vendor Outreach Session in Atlanta to highlight what its purchasing needs are this year in the southeast region. DHS worked with the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) in advance of the event to match-up those contracting needs with Georgia vendors. GTPAC works with over 3,000 companies across the state to assist them in the pursuit of government contracts.
As a result of the advance work, businesses were pre-matched with DHS buyers representing the Coast Guard, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, FEMA, TSA, DHS headquarters, as well as four large prime contractors currently engaged in DHS contract work.
When the vendors arrived at the event, they were granted on-on-one appointments with the decision-makers. They presented descriptions of their capabilities and then learned details about the upcoming contract opportunities. Over 210 appointments were conducted between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
Before the event GTPAC prepped the vendors by offering instructions on how to compose an “elevator speech” introduction as well as how to prepare a written capabilities statement.
DHS official Wendy Hill called the outreach event “a great success.” Likewise, vendors had good things to say about how well the event was organized. “Over the top,” remarked one of the participating businesses people. “You all continue to do an amazing job of serving your constituency.”
If you represent a business that didn’t attend the event, all is not lost. You can view lists of upcoming DHS contracting opportunities here: http://apfs.dhs.gov/. And contact information on all DHS contracting personnel appears here: http://www.dhs.gov/xopnbiz/smallbusiness/gc_1178570919850.shtm.
Key officials from the Department of Homeland Security welcomed over 80 businesses to the Feb. 29th event at Georgia Tech.
More than 200 one-on-one appointments were held between vendors and federal officials representing the Coast Guard, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, FEMA, TSA, Homeland Security headquarters, as well as four large prime contractors currently engaged in DHS contract work.
Members of the GTPAC staff from across the state teamed-up with Homeland Security small business specialists to host the Feb. 29th Vendor Outreach Session held at Georgia Tech.
3-day course on federal small business program offered at Georgia Tech
January 6, 2012 by cs
The federal Small Business Program is the subject of a new course now being offered by The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech.
The course, designated as CON 260B by the Defense Acquisition University, provides an in-depth review of the Department of Defense’s Small Business Program. This course delves into the intricacies of the associated programs and initiatives that support the Small Business Program and the DoD’s efforts to improve small business participation in prime contracting and subcontracting. Particular attention is focused on the Small Business Managers’ role as a vital member of the acquisition team.
The course is scheduled to be offered several times in 2012 on the Georgia Tech campus in midtown Atlanta. Georgia Tech is an approved Defense Acquisition University (DAU) equivalency provider and offers DAU-equivalent training that will satisfy the FAC-C and DAWIA certification programs. This class is not limited to government employees; individuals representing businesses who wish to gain insights into the federal procurement process are welcome to register and attend.
How You Will Benefit by Attending
Participants will learn how to do the following by participating in this course:
- Conduct market research to the extent needed to maximize small business
participation at the prime and subcontracting levels. - Select the appropriate acquisition strategy that maximizes small business
participation either at the prime contract or subcontracting levels. - Describe the SBA’s role in the award decision making process.
- Implement the subcontracting requirements.
- Describe how to provide assistance to small businesses in finding government
contracting and sub-contracting opportunities
Course Materials
A notebook containing the PowerPoint slides, assessment instruments, exercises and supplemental information will be provided to each registered participant.
CEU’s, Cost and Registration
Course participants will earn 2.1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from Georgia Tech and be eligible for Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) from DAU. The course fee is $750. The course schedule and registration information is available on-line at http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-260b-small-business-programs.
Who Should Attend
- State, local, federal contracting officials
- Small business advocacy associations
- Prime contractors with AND without government contracts
- Corporate supplier diversity professionals
- Small, mid-size, and large businesses
- Anyone working for a federal agency who interacts with/supports small
businesses
Course Agenda
Day One
- Introduction
- Administrative Information
- Course Overview
- Market Research
Day Two
- Acquisition Strategy
- SBA’s Role
Day Three
- Subcontracting Plan
- Conducting Outreach
Questions?
Feel free to contact The Academy’s program manager Rhonda Lynch at info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu.
Professional ed contracting courses save time and money
December 29, 2011 by cs
Beginning in February 2012, Georgia Tech is offering a series of professional education courses that allow you to better manage both your time and your budget.
Featured, for the first time anywhere, is CON 090-Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals, packaged in four modules.
Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy has split-up what is normally offered as a four-week Defense Acquisition University course into four, one-week classes. That means you now have multiple opportunities to complete the entire class throughout the year without the challenge of being away from your job for a month straight.
In CON 090, the Federal Acquisition Regulation – also known as “the Bible” of federal acquisition – is broken down into bite-sized pieces, making all the detail more digestible.
Plus, if you register for all four modules of CON 090 at one time, you’ll receive a discount of $300. (Please contact Info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu or call 855-812-5309 for details on this discount.)
Other courses featured in 2012 are the three-day CON 260B-Small Business Programs and CON 120-Mission Focused Contracting. See http://www.pe.gatech.edu/Subjects/Acquisition-Government-Contracting for details on all courses, including cost and registration.
During 2011, contracting officials and contractors alike attended these two courses. Both “sides of the table” gained new insights into the government acquisition process.
The 2012 course calendar can be viewed at http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training. Courses are expected to be added throughout the year. Coming soon, for instance, are COR 206-Contracting Officer Representatives in the Contingency Contracting Environment and COR 222-Contracting Officer’s Representative Course.
Contracting Academy schedules 7 courses 16 times in 2012 — registration now open
December 6, 2011 by cs
Advance your professional education by making a New Year’s resolution to attend one or more courses now offered by The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech!
These courses are perfect for any serious business person looking to gain insights into the government procurement process.
Academy classes are designed for government contracting officials, but are open to all — perfect for contractor personnel who want to understand government contracting.
Scheduled courses include:
- Mission Focused Contracting (CON 120),
- The Federal Small Business Programs (CON 260B), and
- All four parts of The Federal Acquisition Regulation (CON 090-1, CON 090-2, CON 090-3, and CON 090-4).
Complete course descriptions, registration information, and cost can be found at http://www.pe.gatech.edu/Subjects/Acquisition-Government-Contracting.
Project management consultants expand business with help from Georgia Tech
August 12, 2011 by cs
Project Success, Inc. (PSI), an Atlanta-based project management training and
consulting firm, recently utilized the services of Georgia Tech’s Procurement
Assistance Center (GTPAC) to expand its business into the government sector.
GTPAC is a program that assists companies with all aspects of government
procurement processes.
“We’ve been in business for almost 28 years now, and we teach the practical
aspects of project management. We work in all industry sectors, in
manufacturing, energy, marketing, software and IT,” said David Halm, a senior
consultant at the company. “With the downturn in the economy in late 2008, we
recognized that the manufacturing sector was going to continue to decline, so we
took a suggestion from one of our consultants to get on the U.S. General
Services Administration schedule.”
The General Services Administration (GSA) oversees the business of the U.S.
federal government. According to its website, GSA supplies federal purchasers
with “cost-effective, high-quality products and services from commercial
vendors.” Halm was referred to GTPAC after attending a GSA-sponsored event in
Atlanta.
“We learned about the educational and classroom offerings through GTPAC, and
I took several classes, including Introduction to Government Contracting,
Understanding the GSA Schedules Process and Using the Computer to Win Government
Contracts,” Halm recalled. “Those classes allowed me to get connected to Chuck
Schadl, director of GTPAC, and Joe Beaulieu, a procurement counselor. As we
researched the GSA requirements, we jotted down ideas about the best way to
structure our proposal.”
Beaulieu helped PSI structure a proposal under GSA’s Mission Oriented
Business Integrated Services, or MOBIS. Under the MOBIS schedule, PSI may
provide mission oriented business integrated services and products to U.S.
Government agencies. The MOBIS objective is to enable federal agencies to
improve performance, quality, timeliness and efficiencies throughout their
organizations.
“Getting a GSA contract basically means that all the negotiating points – the
pricing, the delivery – all those terms have already been negotiated. So a
government agency can purchase from Project Success through the GSA process. It
opens a lot of doors,” Halm noted. “In the GSA seminar, the speaker said that
more than 90 percent of companies that set out to get a GSA contract never get
there. Having this contract offers great marketing potential and has helped us
maintain and generate business in this downturn.”
GTPAC, part of the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute, provides
no-cost assistance with government procurement to any company licensed to do
business in Georgia. Each year, GTPAC conducts seminars in Albany, Athens,
Atlanta, Augusta, Carrollton, Columbus, Gainesville, Rockmart, Savannah and
Warner Robins. The center assists companies with all aspects of federal, state
and local government procurement processes, including solicitation analysis,
proposal preparation, pre- and post-award counseling, and quality and accounting
systems. Procurement counselors also analyze whether companies have the
potential for participating in the government procurement process.
“It’s very useful to be able to use GTPAC as a sounding board, because the
counselors understand the specific requirements,” Halm said. “In dealing with
us, Joe helped us maintain the confidence we needed to stay on track. GTPAC
provided tangible, direct guidance, as well as the more intangible, but equally
important, encouragement.”
About Enterprise Innovation Institute:
The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute helps companies,
entrepreneurs, economic developers and communities improve their competitiveness
through the application of science, technology and innovation. It is one of the
most comprehensive university-based programs of business and industry
assistance, technology commercialization and economic development in the
nation.
Enterprise Innovation Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology
75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314
Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA
Media Relations Contact: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: JohnToon@innovate.gatech.edu
Writer: Nancy Fullbright, published Aug. 9, 2011
Georgia Tech now offering advanced government contract training
June 9, 2011 by cs
Georgia Tech is helping the federal government address a critical need for government contract training by launching The Contracting Education Academy, a Defense Acquisition University (DAU) equivalency provider that will offer acquisition and public sector contracting for both the government and business communities.
The Academy’s first course offering in July 2011 – Mission-Focused Contracting – is designed for personnel new to the contracting workforce or non-contracting personnel who play a role in the acquisition process and want to learn and apply problem-solving and negotiation skills.
Through interactive instruction and case studies, participants in this comprehensive, 10-day course will learn how government agencies:
- Complete a market research report;
- Develop a bid or proposal package;
- Evaluate proposals and award contracts;
- Monitor contractor performance, apply remedies and make proper contract
payments; and - Modify contracts, exercise options and complete the contract closeout
process.
Rhonda Lynch, project manager for The Academy, points out that Mission-Focused Contracting is the capstone course for Level I federal contracting professionals as well as for all non-contracting personnel who play a role in the acquisition process.
“The beauty of this class is that it is applicable to both government and industry purchasing,” Lynch said. “This course engages the participant in the entire acquisition process, from meeting with the customer to completing the contract closeout process. Contracting officials and members of the contracting
community alike will have the unique opportunity in this class to sit side-by-side to learn how the government acquisition process works.”
Stephen Fleming, the vice president and executive director of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²), says that the idea for the Academy began last year as an outgrowth of a range of services offered to the government and business sectors.
“There are record high retirements from federal ranks and the number of jobs is increasing, so there is a huge demand for these classes,” he observed. “Every federal agency is represented in Atlanta, so in these budget-conscious days, having The Academy in the southeast can greatly reduce travel budgets.”
Within the first six months of operation, The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech was recognized by the DAU as an official equivalency provider of DAU course work. This is especially significant for at least two reasons. Since federal contracting professionals are required to obtain a certain amount of hours of contract training annually to keep their jobs, those located in Atlanta will not have to travel far to obtain training. Whereas local agencies and businesses view The Academy as a welcome resource for superior and convenient training, there is quite a bit of interest from prospective students outside of Georgia.
A chance to train at Georgia Tech, the availability of classroom seats, and the ease of access to the city of Atlanta are just three of the many pluses for The Academy. In addition, The Academy’s DAU-equivalent classes satisfy both the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) and Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification programs, which means contracting officials from any federal agency will receive credit toward their training requirements.
To register for The Academy’s inaugural class and subsequent classes, please visit http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training/. More information about The Academy, including training offerings and services, can be found on the web site at www.contractingacademy.gatech.edu or by contacting
Rhonda Lynch at 404-894-6109 or rhonda@contractingacademy.gatech.edu.
About Enterprise Innovation Institute:
The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute helps companies,
entrepreneurs, economic developers and communities improve their competitiveness
through the application of science, technology and innovation. It is one of the
most comprehensive university-based programs of business and industry
assistance, technology commercialization and economic development in the
nation.
Enterprise Innovation Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology
75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314
Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA
Media Relations Contacts: Nancy Fullbright (912-963-2509); E-mail: (nancy.fullbright@innovate.gatech.edu)
or John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail (john.toon@innovate.gatech.edu).
Writer: Nancy Fullbright – June 8, 2011
Central Georgia companies and organizations partner to implement lean projects
June 5, 2011 by cs
EI2 has launched an initiative in central Georgia to help smaller manufacturers implement lean principles, a set of tools widely used in manufacturing to help identify and steadily eliminate waste from an organization’s operations. So far, four manufacturers, a hospital and a non-profit charitable organization are enrolled in the Group Lean Implementation Project, also known as GLIP.
“GLIP is a good way for smaller organizations to pool their resources and learn from each other,” said Paul Todd, a lean specialist with EI2. “Manufacturers and non-manufacturers alike can learn how to eliminate non-value added activities and at the same time find out what works for them in their continuous improvement process.”
The following organizations are participating in GLIP:
- Advanced Metal Components in Swainsboro,
- Duramatic in Glennville,
- Easter Seals of Middle Georgia in Dublin,
- Hollingsworth & Vose in Hawkinsville,
- Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia and
- SP Newsprint in Dublin.
As part of the new initiative, EI2 lean specialists Todd and Danny Duggar have led lean overviews, assessed where each organization is in its lean journey, and developed value stream maps, which are diagrams used to analyze the flow of materials and information required to bring a product or service to a consumer.
As part of GLIP, group members rotate hosting events at their facilities, working on specific projects and discussing challenges and successes to date. Already, the team has conducted projects in single-minute exchange of die (SMED) techniques, which shorten the changeover time to reduce production lot sizes and improve flow. The team also applied 5S – a method for organizing the workplace – that stands for sorting, straightening, shining, standardizing and sustaining.
Not only do participating companies benefit from the lean implementations, but they can also take advantage of the Georgia Retraining Tax Credit, in which a company’s direct investment in training can be claimed as a tax credit. Training programs must be approved by the Technical College System of Georgia, and the tax credit can be used to offset up to 50 percent of a company’s state corporate income tax liability. To be eligible, the retraining program must be for quality and productivity enhancements or certain software technologies.
“By utilizing Georgia Tech assistance, we get ideas from professionals who are very well trained and adept in what they’re doing. The other group members bring fresh ideas from organizations with different cultures, backgrounds and types of work that we can take and apply to our companies,” said Daniel Smith, industrial engineering manager for Duramatic Products. “It gives all of us a chance to get out of our comfort zones and see how other companies manufacture so we can use it as a benchmark to improve what we do.”
– by Nancy Fullbright, Georgia Tech- June 1, 2011.