Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

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.

 

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.

 

GTPAC launches series of lunch-and-learn government contracting webinars in July

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If you’re a business person who’s pursuing government contracts, you know there’s lots to learn.

For over 30 years, the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) has been recognized as the source for expert advice and training on all aspects of government contracting.  Now, GTPAC is making it even easier for you to learn about important topics within the government contracting arena.

Starting in July, GTPAC is launching a series of one-hour webinars about various aspects of government contracting.  As with all GTPAC training offerings, the webinars are free — and they’re convenient, too, because they’re conducted during the lunch hour.

Below is a list of what’s coming up.  Simply click on any webinar title to see a description and to register:

Each webinar is conducted from noon to 1:00 pm, and each webinar requires advance registration.  To register, simply click on the title(s) of the webinar(s) listed above.

 

 

 

Government contracting success event scheduled for Jan. 31 in Atlanta

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amex-openAmerican Express is bringing its government contracting success event back to Atlanta on Jan. 31, 2017.

The American Express OPEN for Government Contracting program provides free events, resources, mentoring and networking opportunities to help mid-sized businesses to get the insight and experience they need to do business with the world’s largest customer: the U.S. government.

This event gives small and mid-sized business owners insights into how to navigate the government contracting landscape.

Meet Buyers and Mentors

Attendees can sign up for an opportunity to have one-on-one meetings with government agencies and large prime contractor representatives. Past organizations participating include the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Transportation.

There also will be an opportunity to participate in mentoring sessions with government contracting experts, including buyers, agency representatives, and fellow small and mid-sized business owners.

Location and Agenda

The day-long event on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 will begin at 8:00 am at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis,  265 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303.    One of the featured speakers will be Chuck Schadl of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) who will talk about what it takes to break into, and succeed, in the government marketplace.

Download the preliminary agenda by clicking here.

Registration

To learn more and register, visit: openforum.com/events/OGCAtlanta2017

See a report on a similar event held in Atlanta in 2015 here: http://gtpac.org/2015/02/10/american-express-open-atlanta-guide-features-gtpac 

 

Guidance provided for doing business with the Defense Logistics Agency

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DLAThe Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) buys nearly every consumable item used by the Department of Defense (DoD) worldwide.  DLA manages millions of line items including aviation, land and maritime items, weapon systems spare parts, fuel, and critical troop-support items such as food, clothing, textiles and medical supplies.

Understanding DLA’s role and mission is a key to doing business with the agency.

Now, that task has become easier with the publication by DLA of a handbook that describes its buying needs, requirements, and acquisition procedures.

In all, DLA is comprised of nine supply chains responsible for purchasing commodities and services common to all military services and some federal civilian agencies.  These units — comprised of subsistence, clothing and textile, energy, construction and equipment, medical, aviation, maritime, land, and industrial hardware — are described in DLA’s new vendor handbook, along with each of the steps a vendor must take in order to do business with DLA.  Points of contact, small business goals and other information are provided as well.

To download a copy of the DLA vendor guide, click on this link: DLA Overview for Vendors – June 2016.

To download a copy of a fact sheet on DLA, click on this link: DLA One Page Overview.

American Express OPEN Atlanta Guide features GTPAC

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On January 21, 2015, you may have had a chance to attend the latest in a series of national forums on government contracting hosted by American Express OPEN.  On that date, OPEN conducted a forum in Atlanta designed to help businesses build connections with government officials, contracting experts, and other businesses to assist in winning government contracts.

American Express OPEN published a contracting guide in conjunction with its Jan. 21st event.  Entitled “Government Contracting in Atlanta: Maximizing Your Success,” the guide features interviews with Chuck Schadl of Georgia Tech; Necole Parker of The Elocen Group (a client of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center); Cassius Butts, regional director of the Small Business Administration; and Adam Smith, purchasing director for the City of Atlanta.

The guide offers practical tips for pursuing government contracts.  You can download a copy by clicking on this link: Atlanta_Insight_Guide_01.21.2015

AMEX OPEN Atlanta Guide

For more information about American Express OPEN and related business resources, visit: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/explore/?linknav=us-openforum-global-header-whatsnew

More free government contracting seminars and webinars planned for 2015

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The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) has plenty of plans already made that are designed to assist Georgia businesses in the pursuit of winning government contracts.

For example, GTPAC has scheduled seven different webinars in the first few months of 2015 to help businesses understand topics as diverse as:

  • Understanding the GSA Schedule Process (Jan. 13th)
  • Introduction to Government Contracting (Feb. 11th)
  • Preparing Successful Bids and Proposals (Feb. 20th and April 9th)
  • The Woman Owned Small Business Program (Mar. 10th)
  • Subcontracting with Large Prime Contractors (Mar. 27th)
  • Selling to the Military (Apr. 24th)

In addition to webinars, GTPAC has scheduled 22 in-classroom seminars in the first quarter of 2015.  These sessions are being held in Atlanta, Warner Robins, Carrollton, Savannah, and Albany.

A complete list of seminar topics, locations, and dates can be found at: http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/Conferences.action.

Additional webinars and seminars are added to GTPAC’s training calendar frequently, so if you don’t see what interests you right now, be sure to check the calendar on a regular basis.

All GTPAC seminars are free of charge, but advance registration is required.  Simply hit the “Sign Up” button for the seminars of your choosing at http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/Conferences.action.

Want to grow your government contracting business? Be ready for what you wish for!

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Federal small business programs are valuable. But they can also inadvertently stunt or even slash the growth of companies that the programs are intended to help.

First, small business owners with big ambitions can capture big wins that pump up their revenue beyond their small business size standards. But without the support of federal small business programs, more than a few can’t win new work to sustain that growth. When the company shrinks again, that slide back into small business status means lost jobs.

Then there’s those that deliberately cap their business growth to hang on to the advantages of small business programs. Their plan is either to hold steady, or get acquired. That holding pattern represents lost opportunity.

But stagnation and backsliding aren’t inevitable. Practical tactics can help in the short term.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/fedbiz_daily/2014/06/want-to-grow-your-government-contracting-business.html?page=all

Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center is a startup powerhouse

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When he enrolled as a Ph.D. student in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing five years ago, Vijay Balasubramaniyan never expected to become the CEO of one of Atlanta’s hottest young information security companies.

Today, the phone call fingerprinting technique he developed provides the foundation for Pindrop Security. The three-year-old company has attracted $12 million in investment from Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley’s most prestigious venture capital firms. Pindrop already has customers among the top U.S. companies, including two of the nation’s five largest banks.

As CEO, Balasubramaniyan handles duties that are vastly different from his Ph.D. days, such as meeting with marketing and engineering staff and dashing off to customer meetings on the West Coast. In addition, he regularly checks a large computer screen that monitors potentially fraudulent calls going into call centers of the company’s customers.

From an office in Georgia Tech’s Technology Square, the company is building a business to help battle the multi-billion dollar problem of fraud committed using the telephone.

On March 27, Pindrop will be one of three companies celebrating their success with “graduation” from the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), Georgia Tech’s startup incubator. The ATDC was started 33 years ago to create technology jobs and economic growth for the state of Georgia.

Three companies show the technology diversity of ATDC

  • Pindrop Security​
    Pindrop Security provides solutions to protect enterprise call centers and phone users from fraud.
  • SalesLoft
    Headed by Georgia Tech graduate Kyle Porter, SalesLoft helps companies find prospective customers using information available on the Internet.
  • MessageGears
    MessageGears helps clients customize their email marketing messages while keeping customer data securely behind firewalls.

“These three companies demonstrate the kind of diversity that we have in the ATDC,” said K.P. Reddy, an entrepreneur, author, and Georgia Tech graduate who serves as the incubator’s interim general manager. “If you look at any ecosystem – and we are part of a larger technology ecosystem – diversity like this is what drives its health.”

Making a difference for startups

ATDC assists companies spinning out of Georgia Tech, those headed up by Georgia Tech alumni, and companies that have no direct Georgia Tech connection. The common denominator is fit with the ATDC program.

ATDC emphasizes coaching, support from a community of entrepreneurs, and connections to a broad range of resources. The companies receive access to Georgia Tech resources – students, faculty, and research facilities. Additionally, they can connect to industry giants such as AT&T, which recently located one of its Foundries in Technology Square to be close to the startup community there.

“We are not trying move the needle 5 percent or 10 percent,” Reddy explained. “We are trying to make orders of magnitude differences for startup companies. We are able to help companies do much more than they could on their own.”

Everything an entrepreneur needs

Each of the 2014 graduates cites a different benefit from ATDC, which isn’t surprising, said Reddy.

“We are all about supporting entrepreneurs,” he explained. “It isn’t just about space. It isn’t just about coaching or mentoring. It isn’t just about investors or customers. We have all the things that an entrepreneur needs at ATDC.”

Among the newest programs are Industry Connect and Campus Connect. Industry Connect brings in representatives from Atlanta’s largest corporations to learn about startups that may have solutions to the challenges they face. In 2013, ATDC’s Industry Connect program facilitated more than 20 contracts between ATDC startups and Global 1000 companies.

Campus Connect helps ATDC companies leverage Georgia Tech resources, connecting them to one of the nation’s top ten 10 publicly-supported universities, with a science and engineering research program that is among the largest in the United States.

“There is a lot of brain power and a lot of talent at Georgia Tech, and we are leveraging that,” said Reddy. “Being connected to a top university really makes a difference.”

Beyond faculty and research assistance, the Georgia Tech connections also lead to great students. A recent career fair held with the Georgia Tech College of Computing and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering attracted 150 students, who learned about opportunities at 25 startups. Internships and new hires will likely result, Reddy said.

ATDC companies tend to fall into two categories: those with high market risk and low technical risk – such as social media companies, and those with high technical risk and low market risk, including many of the science-based startups spinning out of Georgia Tech. Those two groups help one another, and build a robust ecosystem.

“Our scientists have to learn how to market, and our marketers have to learn about science,” Reddy noted. “That’s where the ecosystem gets really strong.”

Reddy believes ATDC has a great reputation, one that should make it top of mind for any technology entrepreneur in Georgia.

“If I’m looking for hash browns, I go to Waffle House,” he added. “If I’m going to start a company, I go to ATDC.”

Click here to view video about ATDC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0KUcUJE4LSQ

GSA to conduct ‘how to do business with GSA’ webinar Oct. 30th

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The U.S. General Services Administration’s Regional Office of Small Utilization invites you to attend an informative online webinar: 

Learn the federal business ropes, from marketing to promoting sustainability!

GSA’s Office of Small Business Utilization advocates for small, minority, Veteran, HUBZone, and Women business owners.  This webinar will focus on the steps to “Doing Business with GSA” including contracting options, sustainability, and more:

– GSA’s procurement policies and methods
– Accessing government solicitations
– Marketing your products/services
– GSA Schedules Program Pros and Cons
– GSA Mentor Protégé Program
– GSA and Sustainability

This is a two-hour webinar.  It is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, October 30, 2013, from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM EDT.

To register for this no-cost event, go to: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/511417079

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