Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Georgia Tech creates new Office of Corporate Engagement

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This spring, Georgia Tech will launch the Office of Corporate Engagement, a new integrated model of corporate relations and industry collaborations designed to help the Institute leverage critical partnerships and develop new relationships with industry.  The launch of the new office is the first of two phases that will reimagine Georgia Tech’s corporate and industry engagement ecosystem, including a refined organizational structure, over the next several months.

“Continued engagement with industry is a critical part of realizing Georgia’s Tech mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition,” said President Ángel Cabrera.  “A renewed, streamlined organizational approach is essential to welcoming and meeting the demands of these growing opportunities.”

The refinements follow a recently completed holistic review of Georgia Tech’s existing corporate, business, and industry engagement structure and activities.  At the request of President Cabrera, the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) and the Office of Development completed a strategic examination of previous reports and studies, and a comprehensive assessment of engagement points for internal and external stakeholders.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Federal contractor indicted for stealing over $1.2 million from the U.S. Postal Service

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A federal grand jury indicted a construction contractor for stealing over $1.2 million from the United States Postal Service through a more than three-year scheme to defraud through false invoices, Acting United States Attorney Saima S. Mohsin announced today.

Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Steven Suller, Director of the Contract Fraud Investigations Division, United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.

Michael Rymar, 59, of Rochester Hills, stands charged with embezzling government funds from the United States Postal Service (USPS).  From 2015 to 2018, USPS engineers awarded Rymar’s company, Horizons Materials & Management LLC, with over $5 million in contracts for repairs on USPS buildings in Michigan and New York.  But the documentation Rymar provided contained false and fraudulent statements, oftentimes dramatically and falsely overstating the amount he paid subcontractors to complete the repairs.  Rymar also falsely inflated the amount he paid his own employees and the cost of materials on USPS jobs.  Over the course of the three-plus-year fraudulent scheme, Rymar stole over $1.2 million from USPS out of the $5 million in contracts he was awarded.

Continue reading at:  U.S. Department of Justice website

SBA hosting “Contract Bonds and Surety Bond Guarantee” webinar April 20th

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Are you a small construction, supply, or service business that bid on contracts?  Having a difficult time opening the doors to bonding?  SBA is here to help!  Join this webinar to learn how surety bonds help small businesses win construction, supply, and service contracts.

You can register for the event at the SBA website here.

NIH hosting 2021 small business program conference April 26-30th

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ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Did you know… The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is one of the largest sources of early-stage capital for life sciences in the U.S.?  There is more than $1.2 billion of seed funding for small businesses that are developing innovative products and services that could potentially save lives.
Are you…
  • New to the NIH small business grant programs?
    • Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
    • Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)
  • A diverse life science entrepreneur or biomedical researcher looking for seed funding?
  • A stakeholder in a minority-owned or woman-owned small business?
Make plans today to learn how to apply for seed funding to support your early-stage biomedical research and grow your small business at this complimentary virtual conference on April 26-30.
For more information, visit the conference registration page.

A whole new marketplace: GSA’s “commercial platforms” initiative

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The US General Services Administration has opened up several commercial marketplaces, including Amazon Business, to allow direct micro-purchases (generally up to $10,000) by federal users.  With sales anticipated to total $6 billion annually, this “commercial platforms” initiative largely removes the federal procurement system as an intermediary in the purchasing process.

Recently, attorneys from Arnold & Porter’s Government Contracts practice and special guest LTC Abraham Young (USA) discuss GSA’s proof-of-concept effort, which has both reshaped procurement and potentially redrawn a marketplace.  They will review the co-authored article they published on issues that the entirely new federal marketplace presents, including competition, transparency, cybersecurity, and customer choice.  This discussion will be an essential briefing for contractors that might want to sell through this important new channel to their government customers, as well as for governments that are considering accessing platforms such as Amazon Business.

Watch the discussion at:  Arnold & Porter

CMMC announces new advisory council to collect industry feedback

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The governing body for the Defense Department’s cybersecurity compliance program has launched a new organization charged with getting defense contractors’ feedback on the implementation process.

The CMMC advisory council will “provide a crystallizing, unified voice” for defense contractors seeking certification and “supply key feedback, input, and recommendations for implementing CMMC” said Karlton Johnson, the chair of the CMMC Accreditation Body.

The council is separate from the board of directors and will operate between the defense industry base, the CMMC Accreditation Body, and the Defense Department.

Continue reading at:  FCW

CRS Reports: Mentor-Protégé programs and small business size standards

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The Congressional Research Service has updated two reports that may be of interest to government contractors.  The first report provides an overview of federal government Mentor-Protégé programs.  The second report provides an overview of small business size standards and how the government calculates business size.  While these reports are typically created to inform members of Congress as they engage in the legislative and policy-making process, they contain a lot of helpful and useful information that may be of interest to GTPAC clients.

CRS Report: Small businesses and COVID-19, relief and assistance resources

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CRS has updated its insight report regarding available resources for small businesses that are directly affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and seeking economic relief and assistance.

For an analysis of the small business provisions contained in various congressional legislation throughout the pandemic, see CRS Report R46284, COVID-19 Relief Assistance to Small Businesses: Issues and Policy Options.  For businesses interested in supporting COVID-19 mobilization efforts, see CRS Insight IN11419, COVID-19: Selected Federal Resources for Businesses Seeking to Assist with Research and Manufacturing Efforts.  For a list of CRS products related to COVID-19, see the CRS COVID-19 Resources page.

How do I find out what the government is buying?

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It is important to conduct serious market research before deciding to invest resources into doing business with the federal government.  Use the resources below to help you start to find out what the government currently buys.

USASPENDING.gov

Award history of federal procurements and grants is available on a government website called USASPENDING.gov.

Contract Data Reports ⁠— formerly Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS)

Government agencies are responsible for collecting and reporting data on federal procurements through Contract Data Reports.  This new site, which is part of Beta.SAM.gov, is replacing the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) legacy site.

Contract Opportunities

Open market procurements over $25,000 must be published to the Federal Government’s Contract Opportunities portal at beta.SAM.gov.  The site can be used to search, monitor, and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire federal contracting community.  The site can also be used to research past procurement history.

Read the full article here:  https://www.wispro.org/faqs/how-do-i-find-out-what-the-federal-government-is-buying/

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