National OSDBU conference scheduled in DC on Apr. 19th
February 1, 2012 by cs
The OSDBU (Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization) Procurement Conference is a national conference fostering business partnerships between the Federal Government, its prime contractors, and small, minority, service-disabled veteran-owned, veteran-owned, HUBZone, and women-owned businesses. Now in its 22nd year, the OSDBU Directors Conference has become the premier event for small business throughout the United States.
This year the event is scheduled on Apr. 19, 2012, and the location is the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
This unique one-day event annually attracts more than 3,000 people including:
- Over 500 government attendees representing 50 Federal, State and local agencies
- Prime Contractors with teaming and mentor-protégé opportunities
- Hundreds of small businesses, minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses, 8a businesses and HUB-Zone businesses
Participating firms will have the benefit of marketing their products and services to procurement representatives and small business specialists from federal agencies. Companies may choose to set up an exhibit table to showcase their capabilities or simply come as an attendee. The conference also includes educational conference sessions, procurement matchmaking, and a dynamic exhibitor showcase.
For more information or to register see; http://www.fbcinc.com/e/osdbu/default.aspx.
National 8(a) group sets conference for Feb. 7 and 8
January 18, 2012 by cs
The National 8(a) Association is holding its Winter Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 7 and 8, at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
The Association’s mission is to educate and promote its members, to advocate favorable legislation policies, and to serve and support the effectiveness and continuance of the 8(a) program.
The agenda for the conference can be found at http://www.national8aassociation.org/forms/n8a-2012-winter.pdf.
Registration information is at http://8awinter2012.eventbrite.com/.
SBA mentor-protégé forum to be held Feb. 17 in Atlanta
January 17, 2012 by cs
In order for 8(a) firms to compete more successfully for federal contracts, the U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a forum in Atlanta on Friday, February 17, 2012.
The Mentor-Protégé Forum is designed to assist 8(a) firms in their efforts to learn more about SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program, joint ventures, and meeting potential mentors. The Forum will begin with an overview of the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program, followed by discussion of Strategic Alliance and Joint Venture opportunities, leading to a Question and Answer Session.
One-on-one in-person business matchmaking sessions will be the highlight of the afternoon putting you face-to-face with potential mentors or protégés.
In order to register to participate in the SBA Mentor-Protégé Forum, please click one of the links below:
- Register as a Mentor – https://sba.mybusinessmatches.com/buyers/register/4d90f27498791
- Register as a Protégé – https://sba.mybusinessmatches.com/suppliers/qualify/4d90f27498791
The Forum is being held at the Westin Atlanta, 210 Peachtree Street. The program begins at 7:00 am with Registration. A General Session will be held from 8:00 am until 11:30 am. Business Matchmaking will take place from 1:00 until 5:00 pm.
Supply chain innovations conference scheduled for Feb. 22-23 in Savannah
January 7, 2012 by cs
The Center for Advance Logistics Management is pleased to host a two-day conference on Supply Chain Innovations on Feb. 22 and 23, 2012 in Savannah, GA. The conference is an outgrowth of on-going research and education efforts by Albany State University, partnered with Albany Technical College.
The conference will be held at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront. The conference theme is “Leveraging technology for security, resilience and optimization in Defense supply chains.”
Information technology is being leveraged to provide enormous competitive advantage in globally connected supply chains. Technology is a source of innovation and competitive advantage, but it also makes supply chains vulnerable to cyber threats.
Advanced supply chains recognize and manage risk, and build security and resilience while they optimize performance.
IT underpins all of the elements of supply chain management. Sharing of information across processes in the supply chain affect everything from materials extraction and sourcing through manufacturing, transportation, distribution, finance, payments, security and customer relations.
The Department of Defense relies heavily on private-sector infrastructure for its supply chains.
While supply chains move materials through normal distribution channels (air, sea and land-based shipping), supply chain information travels on the Internet. Today we know that security and resiliency in information and communications infrastructures is insufficient, resulting in serious vulnerabilities for supply chains.
The risks and vulnerabilities in an improperly managed supply chain, from counterfeit equipment to malware to other avenues of attack, are real and growing. The Defense Department, through efforts such as the Trusted Foundry program and use of standards like Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408) is working to reduce its supply chain vulnerability footprint. This is not a small problem. Some have recommended government measures that mandate significant consequences for having inadequate cyber protections and requirements for reporting breaches and penetrations.
DoD programs that are mission critical or essential to national security or national defense have stepped up the requirements for compliance with DoD directives and Public Law requiring trusted components in the most important defense systems.
Agencies and departments are developing policies to keep a more watchful eye on vendors, partners, and others in their cyber supply chains and adopt best practices for mitigating risks across their systems and processes to protect your system against backdoor access or other deliberate mischief.
Complete confeence information, including registration details, may be found at http://www.afei.org/events/2A08/Pages/default.aspx.
Veteran entrepreneur training symposium scheduled for June 11-14 in Reno
January 6, 2012 by cs
The National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC) is proud to announce the 2012 Veteran Entrepreneur Training Symposium (VETS2012) in Reno, Nevada, June 11-14, 2012.
VETS2012 brings government agencies, industry leaders and veteran entrepreneurs together in an intimate forum to discuss issues affecting veteran-owned companies.
Besides informative sessions and prominent speakers, the event will feature an Exhibit Hall for companies to display their products and services, as well as one-on-one Business Matchmaking Sessions. Throughout the event, attendees are encouraged to strike up conversations with experts in scheduled sessions and beyond. Through connecting with federal agencies, prime contractors, small and large companies from all across the country are able to forge the relationships needed to help them grow.
NCSBC’s Scott Denniston, former director of the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs’ small business office, promises even more opportunities, information, and key players in this upcoming event than at the inaugural event held in Reno last year.
For further information, you may phone (571) 297-4039, or email InfoVETS@aetherquest.com, or visit the conference website at www.vetereantrainingsymposium.com.
The most popular articles and topics of 2011
January 2, 2012 by cs
You probably already know that the GTPAC web site is a great place to pick-up tips and insights about how to do business with the government. We thought it would be interesting to compile a list of the news items and topics that visitors to the GTPAC web site read most often in 2011.
Below is a list of the stories, and all are hyperlinked so you can read them again or catch-up on what you may have missed.
Following the list of articles, we also list the most popular topics of 2011.
Most Popular Articles of 2011:
- SBA releases WOSB certification forms and implements repository
- What is a Capabilities Statement and why should I have one?
- FAR Councils issue final rule unveiling a new measure designed to ensure only responsible contractors obtain contract awards
- New SBA rules affect small businesses in significant ways
- What is a “Sources Sought”? Here’s the answer!
- What’s an “elevator speech”? And why you need one!
- The 2 most important parts of a gov’t solicitation — and why you should pay attention to them
- 14 Tips for Attending a Government Expo or Trade Show
- Find Davis-Bacon in federal construction contracts, not in a supermarket
- Top 100 government contractors list can be instructive
- SBA planning to add vets, women and HUBZone firms to mentor-protégé program
- Contracting Academy schedules 7 courses 16 times in 2012 — registration now open
- 7 keys to winning more business in today’s market
- Professional ed contracting courses save time and money
- OMB urges agencies to pay small business contracts faster
Most Popular Topics of 2011:
- NIGP codes
- HUBZone
- government contract training
- woman-owned business
- federal contracting
- minority-owned business
- NAICS codes
- service disabled veteran-owned small business
- bid proposal
- small business
- bid protest
- government contracting
- Davis-Bacon Act
- capabilities statement
- fraud
Keep visiting the GTPAC web site every day so you can stay up-to-date on all the latest developments involving government contracting. Also, remember you can follow us on Twitter!
Engineering technical training available Feb. 22 in Savannah
December 23, 2011 by cs
The Savannah chapter of the Society of American Mechanical Engineers is conducting an E-Week Technical conference — providing technical training for Civil, Structural, Geotechnical, Water Resources, Environmental, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineers — at the Armstrong Center in Savannah on February 22, 2012.
The theme of the conference is “Zero in on Energy,” and its designed to provide industry insight related to engineering, entrepreneurship and leadership. Conference presentations will be divided into three tracks: Federal Focus on Energy, featuring leaders from various federal agencies and branches of the military service; Energy Engineering Expertise, exploring new breakthroughs and the latest developments in energy reduction and Emerging Technologies, Products and Services, focusing on energy efficient products and applications.
The conference will include the following informative presentations:
- General Overview of Net Energy
- Beyond LEED: Net Zero Energy Building
- Bridging Commercial Renewable Project Success and Future Energy Needs
- Increasing Sustainability of Existing Department of Defense Buildings
- Getting to Zero: Performance Data from a Net Zero Building
- Creating Renewable Energy Through Septage Disposal
- Cogeneration + Micro Grid: Roadmap to Energy Security and Sustainability
The 2012 Savannah E-Week Conference not only brings the latest energy developments to the local architect/engineering community, it also provides an inexpensive way to earn professional development hours.
Conference registration fees are:
$100 – Early Bird Registration (now through January 15)
$140 – Registration (after January 15)
$25 – Student Registration
$0 – Student Facilitators
For additional information and registration click here: Savannah E-Week website.
National HUBZone conference set for DC in September
December 12, 2011 by cs
HUBZone-certified small business owners, federal officials, prime contractor representatives, and others interested in the HUBZone Program are invited to
attend a national HUBZone conference in Washington, DC, on Sept. 5-7, 2012.
Match-making sessions, allowing one-on-one meetings between HUBZone contractors and federal agencies and prime contractors, will take place Wednesday, September 5.
Educational sessions will take place September 6-7 and will include an update on the HUBZone Program and a variety of other topics impacting small business contracting.
For more information about the conference, including photos from the 2011 conference, visit the Conference website.
GTPAC 2012 seminars now open for advance registration
December 7, 2011 by cs
The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) offers no-cost assistance to businesses interested in pursuing government contract opportunities.
GTPAC’s services include training, electronic bid match, and one-on-one counseling.
Training sessions to be offfered in 2012 are now listed at http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/Conferences.action and are open for registration.
Sessions include:
- Introduction to Government Contracting (This session is the starting point for anyone new to the government marketplace.)
- Fundamentals of Working with the Government (This is a quick overview of what it takes to get ready to enter the government market.)
- Subcontracting with Large Prime Contractors (For many businesses, subcontracting is a good way to get a foot in the door of government contracting.)
- Working with Small Business Specialists (Every government agency designates personnel to act as small business advocates, and this class provided practical tips for approaching these officials.)
- Understanding the GSA Schedule Process (This is an advanced class providing instruction on what GSA Schedules are and what it takes to win one of these contracts.)
- The SBA’s Woman Owned Small Business Program (This briefing provides details on the federal government’s newest contract preference program and how to qualify.)
- Selling to the Military (This session provides insights and tips for marketing to and contracting with the military sector of the federal government.)
- Small Business Certifications (This class provides details on each of the federal government’s small business contracting preference programs.)
- Cost and Price Proposal Preparation (A must for anyone who will be preparing or is currently preparing a response to a government solicitation.)
- Marketing to State and Local Governments (This class provides instruction on how to do bsuiness with the State of Georgia as well as cities, counties and other units of government across the state.)
- Preparing Successful Bids and Proposals (This seminar is designed to help companies understand the bid and proposal preparation process when responding to government solicitations.)
- Using Your Computer To Win Government Contracts (This workshop provides a myriad of details about on-line resources to assist you in successfully pursuing and competing for government contract work.)
In 2012, many of GTPAC’s classes are offered as on-line webinars, meaning you can attend from the comfort of your home or office. Other classes are offered in classroom settings located across the state of Georgia. Make sure you visit http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/Conferences.action for class details, schedules, locations, and to register.
National procurement conference planned for April in DC
December 1, 2011 by cs
The OSDBU Procurement Conference is a national conference fostering business partnerships between the Federal Government, its prime contractors, and small, minority, service-disabled veteran-owned, veteran-owned, HUBZone, and women-owned businesses. Now in its 22nd year, the OSDBU Directors Conference has become the premier event for small business throughout the United States.
This year the event location will be moved to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The new venue will allow for a wider participation by both small businesses and the Federal Government. Mark your calendar for April 19, 2012.
This unique one-day event attracts more than 3,000 people including:
- Over 500 government attendees representing 50 Federal, State and local agencies
- Prime Contractors with teaming and mentor-protégé opportunities
- Hundreds of small businesses, minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses, 8a businesses and HUB-Zone businesses
Participating firms will have the benefit of marketing their products and services to procurement representatives and small business specialists from federal agencies. Companies may choose to set up an exhibit table to showcase their capabilities or simply come as an attendee. The conference also includes educational conference sessions, procurement matchmaking, and a dynamic exhibitor showcase.
Highlights for the 22nd Annual OSDBU Procurement Conference include:
- NEW CONVENIENT LOCATION! Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC
- METRO Access – Mt. Vernon Sq/7th Street/Convention Center Station located on the Yellow Line
- Increased senior level government participation
- 3 times as many MATCHMAKING APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE as last year
- GREEN INITIATIVES – Conference organizers are making every effort to make this a GREEN conference – from the location, to recycling, to reducing the amount of printed materials, we’re striving to reduce the carbon footprint
For complete conference details, visit http://www.fbcinc.com/osdbu.