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.
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.
GSA offers webinar tips for marketing to the government
October 24, 2011 by cs
GSA is hosting a live webinar to provide new small businesses insider tips on successful government contracting.
The webisnar is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm EST.
The webinar is entitled ”Six Easy Steps for Marketing Your Business to the Federal Government.” The training is designed based on feedback from seasoned contractors who have provided insight to their success.
Space is limited. Reserve your space now by going to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/392544194. If you are denied participation in this webinar, the participant capacity has been reached.
State university procurement expo to be held in Clarkston Oct. 14th
September 19, 2011 by cs
The University System of Georgia is holding its North Georgia Procurement Expo for small and minority businesses at the Clarkston campus of Georgia Perimeter College on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011.
The expo is being held in conjunction with the Atlanta Tribune’s “Moving Your Business Forward” event. This one-day event will feature exhibits from University system institutions, providing information on growing businesses, keeping up with advancing technology, and wealth building. The event targets small and minority vendors, but any vendor interested in learning about how to do business with state colleges and universities is welcome.
The expo’s registration begins at 11:30 a.m., and the program begins with a luncheon at noon. Exhibits and training sessions are scheduled after lunch, and a business-to-business networking reception is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
Advance registration is required, and the registration fee is $35. A brochure containing the registration form, program details, and directions can be downloaded by clicking on this link: ProcurementExpoBrochure2011.
Learn ‘soup to nuts’ of government contracting November 7-18
September 15, 2011 by cs
Serious about learning everything about government contracting? Interested in learning about contracting from a federal contracting officer’s point-of-view? Looking for an opportunity to learn government contracting in a comprehensive and interactive way?
If you answered “yes” to these three questions, then “Mission-Focused Contracting” – a two-week course offered by The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech — is the place to be.
This very comprehensive course is being offered on the Georgia Tech campus over a two-week period, November 7 through 18, 2011. (Please note that there will be no class on Friday, November 11 in observance of Veterans’ Day.)
Mission-Focused Contracting is the capstone course for Level I contracting professionals and all non-contracting personnel who play a role in the acquisition process. This class is applicable to both government and industry purchasing and engages participants in the entire government acquisition process, from meeting with the government customer to completing the contract close-out process. Throughout this course, participants have the opportunity to learn and apply problem-solving and negotiation skills.
The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) is an approved equivalency training provider to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and provides continuing education training to acquisition and government contracting professionals as well as to business professionals working for government contractors or pursuing opportunities in federal contracting.
How You Will Benefit:
By attending this course, participants will learn how to:
- Complete market research to identify procurement sources
- Develop a bid or proposal package
- Evaluate proposals and award contracts
- Monitor contractor performance, apply remedies, and make proper contract payments
- Modify contracts, exercise options, and complete the contract closeout process
Business people taking this course have the unprecedented opportunity to sit side-by-side with government contracting personnel to learn the ins and outs of federal contracting. In addition, many of the principles of federal contracting apply to state and local government procurement.
To learn more about this course — and to register– please visit: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-120-mission-focused-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: ude.hcetag.etavonninull@nooTnhoJ
Writer: Nancy Fullbright, published Aug. 9, 2011
Douglas County Chamber hosts “how to do business with local government” event Oct. 12th
June 28, 2011 by cs
Middle Georgia supplier fair Sept. 7 & 8
June 27, 2011 by cs
The Governmental Purchasing Association of Georgia (GPAG) is holding its 2nd annual Supplier Fair at the Perry National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA on Sept. 7 and 8, 2011.
The cost of attendance is $175. There will be classes, government representatives, and lots of vendor present. For
more information go http://www.gpagfair.com/
For questions concerning the Supplier Fair you can contact Nancy Rooks at ude.wsgnull@skoorn , Supplier Fair Attendee Recruiter or Becky Daniel at ten.ebchnull@leinad.ykceb , Supplier Fair Co-Chair, or Jack Millet at ten.htuosllebnull@tellime , Supplier Fair Co-Chair.
Columbus, GA warfighting products conference set for Sept. 13-15
June 21, 2011 by cs
The Federal Business Council invites all businesses to exhibit at the Annual U.S. Army Maneuver Warfighting Conference. This premier event is scheduled to take place at the Iron Works Convention and Trade Center in Columbus, GA, September 13 – 15, 2011.
This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your products to a knowledgeable audience of decision makers throughout U.S. Army Warfighting branches. The 2011 event is expected to attract nearly 4,000 key players, including senior level officers, end-users, procurement officials, and everyone in-between. In addition, the exhibit hall attracts thousands more from the nearby Fort Benning.
The goal this year is to provide specialized and refresher training to key U.S. Army personnel and bring together the Warfighter community to receive top-notch training and exposure. This event has a great history. In previous years, there have been globally recognized vendors taking up more than 400 conference spaces (80,000 sq ft) representing the spectrum of Warfighting technologies. Many companies exhibit year after year.
The Maneuver Warfighting Conference is hosted by the U.S. Maneuver Center of Excellence with input from the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, which has played a large part in our nation’s Warfighting efforts. Your participation in this event is vital in helping to accomplish their mission and communicate the importance of the newest technology in relation to security, education, training, and awareness for the U.S. Warfighter.
Please call (800) 878-2940 for available marketing opportunities.