Federal contracting workshop for women and veteran-owned businesses to be held March 14th
December 3, 2012 by cs
The Georgia District office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is targeting women business owners and veterans for its next workshop focused on government wide procurement goals that encourage opportunities for small businesses. This workshop will provide information on each program to become a successful entrepreneur in the contracting arena.
Who should attend: Women and Veterans who are interested in doing business with the federal government.
Topics to be covered:
- Eligibility requirements for service disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.
- Patriot Express Loan Program.
- Eligibility requirements for the Women Owned Small Business Contracting Program.
- How the WOSB Program can provide significant opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Date: March 14, 2013
Time: 10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Location: U. S. Small Business Administration, Peachtree Center—Harris Tower, 233 Peachtree Street, Suite 1900, Atlanta, GA 30303
This workshop is free but pre-registration is required as seating is limited.
Registration: Go to www.sba.gov/ga. Scroll down to the events calendar and click on the words “Click Here for the District Events.” Then, select and register for the class you are interested in attending.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service holds small business workshop on April 8
December 3, 2012 by cs
NOTE: This event is now full and no further registrations are being taken. A small business outreach event is being held by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Atlanta on April 8, 2014, featuring several additional federal agencies.
This is a day-long event, beginning with presentations by officials from the Fish & Wildlife Service and other agencies regarding their upcoming contracting opportunities, small business initiatives, and available resources.
In the afternoon, attendees will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with representatives of the following agencies: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Small Business Administration.
Networking begins at 8:00 am. General session presentations begin at 8:30 am and last until noon. Lunch is on your own. One-on-one appointments between attendees and agency representatives will be scheduled in 15-minute blocks between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. Registration for these 15-minute appointments will be opened a few days in advance of this event, and at that time advance registrants will receive an email directing them to another web site where they may schedule your appointments.
This event is being held at the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Conference Center, located at 250 – 14th St., NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. There is free parking in the deck adjacent to the GTRI Conference Center.
This event is being hosted by the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center. GTPAC representatives will be on hand to conduct am aftermoon workshop on “preparing successful bids and proposals.”
Advance registration is REQUIRED. To register, visit: http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/ConferenceDetail.action?ID=7549. Registrations close at the end of the business day on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.
SBA to host small business certifications workshop on April 15th
December 3, 2012 by cs
The Atlanta District Office of the Small Business Administration (SBA) is holding a workshop for small business owners to overview the major public and private sector certifications that can be helpul in winning both government and commercial contracts. Included is an overview of the popular SBA 8(a) Business Development Program as well as the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program, the Women-Owned Small Business program, and the Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses Federal Contract Program. Since this is an overview, newly started and long-term existing small business owners are encouraged to attend.
Date: 04/15/2013
Time: 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Location: U. S. Small Business Administration, Peachtree Center—Harris Tower, 233 Peachtree Street, N.E., Suite 1900, Atlanta, GA 30303
Presenter: Mr. Lloyd Atkins, Business Consultant for the University of Georgia, Small Business Development Center, Office of Minority Business Development and SBA Georgia District Office employees.
Admission is free, but pre-registration is required as seating is limited.
Registration: Go to www.sba.gov/ga. Scroll down to the events calendar and click on the words “Click Here for the District Events.” Then, select and register for the class you are interested in attending.
Businessman falsely claiming to be service-disabled veteran sentenced to 7 years in prison
November 26, 2012 by cs
A federal judge on Monday sentenced a Blue Springs businessman who claimed to be a war hero to more than seven years in prison for taking federal contracts meant for disabled veterans.
Warren K. Parker pleaded guilty in April in Kansas federal court to two counts of fraud, one count of money laundering and one count of making a false statement, admitting he had falsely claimed to be a disabled veteran who had received three Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts.
Parker used a false resume to secure more than $6.7 million in contracts for his company, Silver Star Construction LLC, with the Department of Veterans Affairs and more than $748,000 in Defense Department contracts, according to the Kansas U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Investigators found that Parker served in the Missouri National Guard from 1963 to 1968. He never left Missouri while assigned to the guard or in the six months he spent on active duty, prosecutors said.
Big firms edge out small businesses for billions in awards
November 16, 2012 by cs
Major U.S. companies including General Dynamics Corp. and Medtronic Inc. have received billions of dollars in federal government contracts that were supposed to go to small businesses
The BGOV Barometer shows that about $4.74 billion, or 45 percent, of more than $10.6 billion targeted for small businesses under government acquisition rules were won by bigger competitors in the year that ended Sept. 30, 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Companies that need the revenue the most are losing opportunities, said Margot Dorfman, chief executive officer of the Washington-based U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce.
“I think this particular issue should be one of the top concerns of the Small Business Administration and the president,” Dorfman said in an interview. “Fix it now. Let’s not wait.”
Keep reading this article at: http://about.bgov.com/2012/11/13/big-firms-edge-out-small-for-billions-in-awards-bgov-barometer/
‘Secretary of Business’ post proposed, ridiculed
November 1, 2012 by cs
President Barack Obama wants to consolidate several federal agencies responsible for items regarding business, he said in a Monday (10/29/2012) interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program.
“We should have one secretary of business, instead of nine different departments that are dealing with things like getting loans to SBA (Small Business Administration) or helping companies with exports,” Obama said. “There should be a one-stop shop.”
Obama originally proposed a merger of several business-related in agencies in January by seeking reorganizational authority from Congress.
That plan included placing under one roof the Commerce Department‘s core business and trade functions, the SBA, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Trade and Development Agency.
According to Kent Hoover’s report for the Business Journal, the SBA currently has separate committees in both chambers of Congress, while the chambers also have separate commerce committees.
Also see Romney ridicules ‘secretary of business’ proposed by Obama: http://www.govexec.com/management/2012/11/romney-ridicules-secretary-business-proposed-obama/59215/?oref=govexec_today_nl
‘Business Breakthrough’ resources now available
October 10, 2012 by cs
The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) played host last week to a three-day workshop sponsored by the General Services Administration (GSA). Titled “Business Breakthrough,” the Sept. 27-29, 2011 workshop was designed to assist businesses in the region navigate contracting opportunities and methods with GSA.
GSA oversees the business of the U.S. federal government. GSA’s acquisition solutions supplies federal purchasers with products and services from commercial vendors. GSA also manages all non-military buildings, and oversees the preservation of historic federal properties. Its policies cover travel, property and management practices.
GSA leadership from Washington, DC were on hand at the event as were representatives of GSA’s Region IV office.
A number of resources were made available to GTPAC as a result of hosting the workshop, and we’re happy to share them with you. Links are provided below to all workshop materials:
- Accessing the Federal Marketplace
- Contract Administration and Compliance
- GSAs Culture of Innovation and Sustainability
- Proposal Strategies and SubcontractingTeaming
Resource documents you’ll be interested in accesing are:
- Summary of GSA Rates and Fees_2011
- Small Business Subcontracting Plan
- Sample SSR
- Sample SSR Step by Step
- List of Acronyms
- Internet Links
- GSA3695-MentorProtegeApplication
- GSA Resource Information
- GSA Online Tools
- Financial Stability Worksheet
- FCSAslipsheet
- FAR Table of Contents
- FAR 9.6 Contractor Team Arrangements
- FAR 8.404 and 405
- Energy Services BPA OrderingGuide 3.02.11
- Energy Services BPA FactSheet
- CTA Template
- Commercial Sales Practice format.csp1
Details announced for University System of Georgia’s Oct. 15th procurement expo
October 3, 2012 by cs
The University System of Georgia has announced details for this year’s procurement expo.
The expo will be held on the campus of the University of Georgia on Monday, Oct. 15, 2012 from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm in the Tate Student Center, located at 45 Baxter Street, Athens, GA 30602.
The major purpose of this annual expo is to inform and encourage prospective vendors to do business with the colleges and universities that make up the University System of Georgia.
The program and registration information can be found by clicking here: USG Procurement Expo Brochure 10.15.2012
On-line registration is at: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=vlektsjab&oeidk=a07e6bqwo1u51679605
SBA increases size standards for 58 industries in three sectors
September 28, 2012 by cs
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued three final rules in the Federal Register, effective Oct. 24, 2012, increasing size standards for firms in three North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Sectors: Real Estate and Rental and Leasing; Educational Services; and Health Care and Social Assistance.
Size standards define the maximum size a firm can be and still be considered a small business. The revised standards reflect changes in marketplace conditions and public comments that SBA received to the proposed rules.
New size standards will enable more businesses in these sectors to obtain or retain small business status; will give federal agencies a larger pool of small businesses from which to choose for their procurement programs; and will make more small businesses eligible for SBA’s loan programs.
SBA increased size standards for businesses in 21 industries in the Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Sector. More than 13,000 additional firms will qualify as small under these new size standards and become eligible for SBA loan and federal procurement programs.
SBA also increased size standards for nine industries for firms in the Educational Services Sector. More than 1,500 additional businesses will qualify as small under the new size standards and become eligible for SBA loan and federal procurement programs.
Size standards for 28 industries were also increased for firms in the Health Care and Social Assistance Sector. More than 4,100 additional firms will qualify as small under these new size standards and become eligible for SBA loan and federal procurement programs.
To review the three rules and public comments, go to www.regulations.gov. Each has a separate RIN number:
- Real Estate and Rental and Leasing – (RIN 3245-AG28)
- Educational Services – (RIN 3245-AG29)
- Health Care and Social Assistance – (RIN 3245‑AG30)
The SBA is reviewing all size standards, and takes into account the structural characteristics of individual industries, including average firm size, the degree of competition, and federal government contracting trends. This ensures that small business size definitions reflect current economic conditions in those industries. Under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, SBA will continue its comprehensive review of all size standards for the next several years.
The SBA issued a White Paper entitled “Size Standards Methodology” which explains how SBA establishes, reviews and modifies its receipts-based and employee-based small business size standards. It is available at http://www.sba.gov/size. For the latest about SBA’s revisions to small business size standards, click on “What’s New with Size Standards.”
For a chart with the changes for specific business sectors, click here.
Small business contracting goal remains elusive
September 21, 2012 by cs
The Obama administration has pushed agencies to increase contracting opportunities with small businesses, most notably creating a governmentwide task force to share best practices.Yet the federal government, as a whole, has continued to miss its 23 percent small business contracting goal.
In fiscal 2011, federal agencies spent $91.5 billion on small business contracts but were still $5.4 billion short, reaching 21.7 percent of the 23 percent goal. It was the sixth year in a row the government missed the mark.
Keep reading this article at: http://www.federalnewsradio.com/1011/3021046/Special-Report-Small-business-contracting-goal-remains-elusive.