Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Be sure to read this reminder about upcoming events

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The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) wants to remind you of a series of events coming up in the next few months.

Each event is designed to provide businesses with instruction and information on how to do business with particular elements of the government.  Check them out below:

  • August 30 – Coffee Break with Small Business Specialists – Columbus, GA.  Click here for details.
  • September 6 – Coffee Break with Small Business Specialists – Albany, GA.  Click here for details.
  • September 26 – National PTAC Day, including a free instructional webinar.  Click here for details.
  • October 18 – NIST Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) webinar.  Click here for details.
  • November 1 – Warner Robins Air Force Base Civil Engineering Industry Day. Warner Robins, GA.  Click here for details.
  • November 30 – University System of Georgia’s annual procurement expo, Georgia State Univerity-Clarkston Campus  Click here for details.

And, finally, GTPAC also wants to remind of all of our own seminars and webinars.  They are free, and the complete list is available here: https://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/events.

 

How ‘useful links’ can help you navigate the government contracting process

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Clients of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) will tell you how helpful GTPAC’s “Introduction to Government Contracting” seminar is.  Hundreds and hundreds of Georgia businesses have used the “Intro” seminar as their first stepping stone into the government contracting arena.

What these businesses may forget is that GTPAC has a web page containing all of the resources featured in the seminar.

GTPAC’s “Intro” class outlines of seven steps that are essential to achieving success in the government marketplace.  The seven steps are:

  1. Registration in Government Databases
  2. Creating a Marketing Plan
  3. Knowing the Right People
  4. Developing a Reference Library
  5. Searching for Opportunities
  6. Bidding and Performing
  7. Marketing to State and Local Governments

Internet resources supporting the seven steps are valuable to businesses who have attended GTPAC’s “Intro” seminar as well as those who have not.

By reviewing the seven steps on-line — available here — businesses can familiarize themselves with all of the things they should do to prepare themselves before pursuing government contracts.  The resources listed on GTPAC’s “useful links” webpage inform newcomers to government contracting — and remind experienced government contractors — of each essential step that must be taken to achieve success in the government contracting marketplace.

Why not visit GTPAC’s Useful Links today to see what steps you may have neglected to take?  There are more than 160 government contracting resources posted there!

To register to attend GTPAC’s next “Introduction to Government Contracting” seminar — either in-classroom or via a webinar — check GTPAC’s training calendar at https://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/events.  All of GTPAC’s training seminars are free of charge.

 

DoD’s R&D fund sponsors free online training

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The Department of Defense’s SBIR/STTR Program Office has put together an on-line training program catalogue for small businesses for the year.

Small businesses — who are pursuing projects with potential for commercialization and which match-up with specific U.S. Government research and development (R&D) needs — should look into the SBIR/STTR program.

Upcoming SBIR/STTR webinar topics are listed below, along with dates and training registration links.  All are offered free of charge.

  1. How to Use the DOD SBIR/STTR Submission Site / Important Proposal Considerations / Using SITIS – May 24, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  2. Managing Intellectual Property – Important Business Considerations for Commercialization – June 5, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  3. Understanding the Evaluation Process / What to Do with a Debrief – June 26, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site 
  4. Working with Prime Contractors – July 17, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site 
  5. The DOD Acquisition Process / Contracting – August 1, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  6. Commercialization Assistance Programs and Beyond Phase II Considerations – September 4, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  7. Manufacturing / Working with MIBP – September 18, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site
  8. Testing and Evaluation – October 9, 2018 – http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4302495/Registration-Site 
  9. Phase III Process – How to Identify Non-SBIR – October 30, 2018 – http://bit.ly/PIIIprocess 

For more information about the SBIR/STTR programs, visit https://www.sbir.gov/about/about-sttr.

Federal contracting conference to be held in Orlando May 30-31

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The Florida 8(a) Alliance is hosting its annual federal contracting conference on May 30 and 31, 2018 in Orlando, Florida.

Additional information is available on this flyer: Florida 8(a) Alliance’s 7th Annual Federal Contracting Conference Flyer

Registration details may be found on the Alliance’s website at: http://www.florida8a.org/2018-conference.html.

GTPAC’s cybersecurity initiative recognized with national ‘Outstanding Project Award’

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GTPAC received the Outstanding Project Award at APTAC’s annual training conference on Mar. 7, 2018.

The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) was honored this week by the Association of Procurement Assistance Centers (APTAC), the organization which represents 98 procurement technical assistance centers (PTACs) across the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico.

GTPAC was presented with APTAC’s Outstanding Project Award which annually recognizes an accomplishment that stands out from the day-to-day activities that all PTACs organize and undertake.

The project recognized by APTAC is GTPAC’s instructional video that provides step-by-step guidance to government contractors on how they can achieve compliance with Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity requirements  designed to safeguard DoD information and report on cyber incidents.

GTPAC’s video and accompanying resources – including a template which contractors may use – are made available free of charge on the GTPAC web site at: http://gtpac.org/cybersecurity-training-video.

The video and template have been heralded both by PTACs, who counsel businesses, and by businesses themselves as valuable one-stop resources for existing contractors and aspiring DoD contractors alike.  Since the launch of these training tools at the end of last year, 1,284 persons have viewed the video and downloaded the template 1,508 times.

Specifically, the video explains Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clause 252.204-7012, including its key definitions and cyber obligations, including its primary requirement that defense contractors which process, store or transmit “covered defense information” must address 110 individual cybersecurity controls outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171.

The 20-minute video not only provides information on these requirements, but also provides specific guidance on how government contractors can achieve compliance with the DFARS clause and the NIST standards.  The video guides government contractors on how they can perform a “self-assessment” of their information system using NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Cybersecurity Self-Assessment Handbook.

One of the most creative and innovative aspects of the project is the 127-page cybersecurity template GTPAC created in conjunction with the video.  The template provides step-by-step instructions on how government contractors can create a “Systems Security Plan” and “Plan of Action” – documentation necessary to achieve compliance.

The resources GTPAC created are very timely in light of recent warnings from DoD that it plans to request and evaluate cyber plans from businesses as a part of the contract award decision-making process.   If the video is carefully reviewed and the template is fully completed and properly filled out, contractors will be in a position to document their compliance with the DFARS cybersecurity requirements.

Members of the GTPAC team proudly show off the national award they received.

GTPAC program manager Joe Beaulieu points out that “by providing the video and cybersecurity template, GTPAC’s objective is to make the process of achieving compliance much easier, especially for small defense contractors who may not have the resources necessary to develop such plans from scratch.”  Indeed, the template makes the process of drafting the required documentation easier, as contractors merely have to fill in the blanks and answer specific questions, rather than work from a blank slate.  While it is ultimately up to the contractor to meet the requirements and to provide accurate information, GTPAC’s video and template provide contractors with an excellent starting point for assessing, achieving and documenting compliance.

In honoring GTPAC with the Outstanding Project Award, APTAC encouraged other PTACs to make use of the video, template, and resource materials posted at http://gtpac.org/cybersecurity-training-video.  NIST recently provided similar encouragement to their nationwide network of MEPs in their work with U.S. manufacturers.  GTPAC coordinated the creation of the cybersecurity materials with the Georgia MEP (GaMEP) which, like GTPAC, is a part of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2).

EI2 is Georgia Tech’s business outreach organization which serves as the primary vehicle to achieve Georgia Tech’s goal of expanded local, regional, and global outreach.  EI2 is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-based program of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization, and economic development.

GTPAC is a state-wide program operated by EI2 under a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).   In 2017, Georgia businesses won more than 5,000 government contracts – worth more than $1 billion – with GTPAC’s help.  All totalled, GTPAC provided counseling, instruction, and bid opportunities to 2,548 Georgia businesses during the past year.

Read this to learn about our free training in March and April

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The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) encourages all business people who want to be successful government contractors to commit themselves to continuous learning. 

To make learning easy, GTPAC regularly offers a wide range of seminars and webinars on government contracting topics.   Here’s a list of upcoming training events — offered at locations across the state of Georgia.  All are free of charge!

Click on the seminar titles below for more information or to register.

For a complete list of all of GTPAC’s training seminars, please visit: https://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/events.

Free webinar on ‘capture management’

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Capture Management is everything a company does to increase its win probability, from the time it decides to pursue an expected government contract to the time the RFP is actually released.

Do you have a Capture Plan is place?  How is your Capture Plan working for you?  Unfamiliar with the concept?

For answers to questions like these, plan to attend a one-hour webinar being sponsored by the Florida 8(a) Alliance.  The free webinar is being held Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.

Webinar registration is at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/47344256391008258

 

Smart clients regularly attend GTPAC training seminars and webinars

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The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) holds more than 150 training seminars across the state each year, and many of these training events are broadcast as webinars so they can be accessed anywhere you have an Internet connection.  Smart GTPAC clients know the value of participating in GTPAC training seminars and webinars on a regular basis.

Best of all, all of GTPAC’s training sessions are free of charge.  All we ask is that you register in advance.

“Government contracting rules change all the time,” says GTPAC program director Joe Beaulieu.  “That’s why we advise our clients to regularly participate in our training.”  Beaulieu notes that virtually all of GTPAC’s training is conducted by GTPAC team members who are subject matter experts in many aspects of government contracting.  “Our team is exceptionally well-qualified.  Before joining the GTPAC organization our staff possessed an average of 17.5 years of government contracting experience.  That amounts to a collective total of 159 career years of relevant experience.  In addition, our counselors have, on average, been with GTPAC for 9 years, adding another 85 years of relevant experience, collectively.”  Beaulieu adds: “We don’t rest on our laurels.  The GTPAC team regularly attends professional education courses and other training to make sure we stay up-to-date with the latest developments in government acquisition.”

Take advantage of this knowledge and expertise!  There are many topics covered by GTPAC training sessions.  You can find the complete list of upcoming events, along with descriptions and registration information, at: https://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/events.

 

Oct. 27 cybersecurity webinar reviews key regulatory actions impacting government contractors

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The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) is hosting a one-hour lunchtime webinar on Oct. 27, 2017 on the subject of the regulatory obligations federal contractors have for protecting data from cyber-attacks.

Interested parties can sign-up to participate in this free webinar by clicking here.  After registering, enrollees will receive webinar access information from the instructor a few days before the webinar.

Businesses seeking information and resources on the subject of government cybersecurity rules can visit this page.  GTPAC hosted a half-day briefing for businesses on Aug. 9th, and visitors to this page can view a video of the event, plus download a number of resource materials.

All GTPAC seminars and webinars are still free of charge!

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The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) wants to remind everyone that we continue to host a continuous series of top-flight training seminars and webinars on a variety of government contracting topics — and all of them are free of charge!

To see the seminars and webinars, their schedules and locations, simply visit the GTPAC website at www.gtpac.org and click on the “Training” tab, or use this shortcut: GTPAC Training.

Coming up in the next few weeks are:

  • June 19 – Navigating the Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Process (webinar)
  • June 21 – Fundamentals of Working with the Government (classroom – Columbus, GA)
  • June 27 – Marketing to State & Local Government Agencies (webinar)
  • July 7 – Introduction to Government Contracting (classroom – Augusta, GA)
  • July 11 – Introduction to Government Contracting (webinar)
  • July 12 – Selling to the Military (webinar)
  • July 12 – Understanding the GSA Schedule Process (classroom – Warner Robins, GA)
  • July 14 – Bid Protests: What Government Contractors Need To Know (webinar)
  • July 18 – How the Government Administers Its Contracts – Part 4 (webinar)
  • July 19 – Preparing Successful Bids & Proposals (classroom – Albany, GA)
  • July 21 – Understanding the GSA Schedule Process (classroom – Savannah, GA)
  • July 28 – The False Claims Act: What Government Contractors Need to Know (webinar)
  • Aug. 9 – Fundamentals of Navigating SAM and Working with the Government (classroom – Warner Robins)
  • Aug. 9 – Subcontracting with Large Prime Contractors (classroom – Albany, GA)
  • Aug. 11 – Procurement Integrity and Ethics 101 for the Government Contractor (webinar)
  • Aug. 16 – Introduction to Government Contracting (webinar)

Remember, all GTPAC seminars and webinars are offered free of charge.  Advance registration is required.  Use this link — GTPAC Training — to see exact times of the sessions and to register.

 

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