Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Can small, innovative companies break into D.C. contracting scene?

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Sharath Mekala’s two-person tech startup isn’t a textbook government contractor.

Village Defense, spawned through a startup incubator called 1776, develops a free app that lets neighbors send real-time alerts to one another if they notice suspicious activity. A premium version, which costs $125 a month, is designed for homeowners associations.

technologyA Washington area native, Mekala recently uprooted from Atlanta and returned to D.C., in part to market Village Defense to behemoth potential customers: the Defense Department, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Education Department. He says President Obama’s public safety initiative, which includes a blueprint for improved community policing, creates an opportunity for apps like Village Defense.

“I think the government is trying to keep up with [technology]… earlier on you’d have to push your way in,” Mekala says.

Federal procurement, once largely unapproachable by startups, could be transforming to let small, creative tech companies in.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2015/07/startup-shakeup-can-small-innovative-companies-break-dc-contracting-scene/117640/

This story appears in the July-August issue of Government Executive magazine. 

Agencies gave SBA the wrong data for small business research contract spending

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Most agencies submitted incorrect data about Small Business Innovation Research programs for fiscal 2013, so the Small Business Administration can’t fully determine compliance with spending requirements for the programs, says an April 15 Government Accountability Office report.

Agencies are required to submit the actual amount obligated for research and development, which is generally conducted by nonfederal employees outside of federal facilities. Those obligations are the basis for calculating the agencies’ spending requirements for small business programs, the report says.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/agencies-gave-sba-wrong-data-small-business-research-contract-spending/2015-04-16

DHS seeks help of small businesses to develop security-related solutions

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The Homeland Security Department’s research and development arm recently released a pre-solicitation notice to small businesses regarding the potential development of innovative technologies from forensics to cybersecurity to wearable communications.

The Science and Technology Directorate released the joint pre-solicitation with the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, or DNDO, which is also part of DHS, through its Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, program. It focuses on nine areas, including seven for S&T and two for DNDO.

The program began accepting proposals starting Dec. 18, according to FedBizOpps.

“While we want to stimulate innovation to meet the needs of the homeland security enterprise by having offerers submit proposals that concentrate on proving the scientific and technical feasibility of their ideas, they must consider the commercialization potential of their proposed effort,” Lisa Sobolewski, S&T’s SBIR program director, said in a statement.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.fiercehomelandsecurity.com/story/dhs-seeks-help-small-businesses-develop-security-related-solutions/2014-12-11

Agencies awarding SBIR contracts to businesses owned by venture capital firms

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Two of the agencies participating in a Small Business Administration innovation program opted to open the program to small businesses that are majority-owned by venture capital firms, says a Nov. 20 Government Accountability Office report.

The Health and Human Services Department and the Energy Department opted to open part of their Small Business Innovation Research programs to small businesses that are majority-owned by multiple venture capital or similar firms, allowing such companies to apply for and receive SBIR awards, the report says.

Specifically, HHS’s National Institutes of Health and the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency allowed such companies to participate.

For fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2014, NIH and ARPA together received 20 applications from majority-owned portfolio companies and made 12 SBIR awards to them, totaling about $7.9 million, the report says.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/gao-2-agencies-awarding-sba-contracts-businesses-owned-venture-capital-firm/2014-11-25

White House to expand small business access to federal innovation, grants

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The Obama administration plans to help small businesses access new markets  quicker by giving them better access to technology developed in federal  laboratories, as well as by expanding grant programs.

As part of its recently updated small business cross agency priority framework, the administration says it wants agencies to take steps to streamline  the process for private-public research partnerships so that startups can access  research and development grants 50 percent faster.

Keep reading this article at: White House to expand small business access to federal innovation, grants – FierceGovernment http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/white-house-expands-small-business-access-federal-innovation-grants/2013-01-08#ixzz2Hb2FbXP6

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SBIR solicitations open until Jan. 11

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The Department of Defense’s 2012 SBIR solicitation is now open and accepting proposals until January 11, 2012..

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) is a government program, coordinated by the Small Business Administration, in which 2.5 percent of the total extramural research budgets of all federal agencies with extramural research budgets in excess of $100 million are reserved for contracts or grants to small businesses. Annually, the SBIR budget represents more than $1 billion in research funds. Over half the awards are to firms with fewer than 25 people and a third to firms of fewer than 10. A fifth are minority or women-owned businesses. Historically, a quarter of the companies are first-time winners.

In addition, Congress established the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program in 1992. It is similar in structure to SBIR and funds cooperative research and development projects with small businesses in partnership with not-for profit research institutions (such as universities) to move research to the marketplace.

The SBIR/STTR Programs are structured in three phases. Phase I (project feasibility) determines the scientific, technical and commercial merit and feasibility of the ideas submitted. Phase II (project development to prototype) is the major research and development effort, funding the prototyping and demonstration of the most promising Phase I projects. Phase III (commercialization) is the ultimate goal of each SBIR/STTR effort and statute requires that Phase III work be funded by sources outside the SBIR/STTR Program.

During the solicitation period, communication between small businesses and topic authors is highly encouraged. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed during the Open period when DoD is accepting proposals for each solicitation.  However, proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS). In SITIS the questioner and respondent are anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing until the solicitation closes. All proposers are advised to monitor SITIS during the Open solicitation period for questions and answers and other significant information relevant to their SBIR/STTR topics of interest.

Topics Search Engine: Visit the DoD Topic Search Tool to quickly and easily find topics by keyword across all DoD components participating in this solicitation.

IMPORTANT DATES:

  • December 12, 2011 – Solicitation opens and DoD begins accepting proposals
  • January 4, 2012 – SITIS closes to new questions
  • January 11, 2012 – Solicitation closes to receipt of proposals at 6:00 AM EST

Complete details on DoD’s 2012 SBIR solicitation may be found at: http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sbir20121/index.shtml.

To be added to the DoD SBIR List serv: sbirlist@listserv.dodsbir.net.

DoD’s SBIR “Beyond Phase II” Conference scheduled for Atlanta Sept. 12-15

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Atlanta plays host to the national “Beyond Phase II Conference on Sept. 12-15, 2011.  This event showcases the SBIR Program’s Phase II awardees’ technologies and provides a forum for commercialization opportunities. The event brings together current SBIR Phase II companies, key technology and acquisition personnel from government and industry to enable the transition of SBIR-funded research and development into products for military, government and private sector commercial markets. This event is the only national SBIR event focusing on transitioning advanced SBIR research and development into commercialization opportunities.

Hosted by the DoD, with support from all 11 SBIR Federal agencies, the Beyond Phase II Conference and Technology Showcase is held in or around September of every year.

Conference Highlights include:

Who is invited to attend and showcase?

  • SBIR/STTR small businesses
  • Prime contractors, large businesses including Biotech, Medical, Energy, Health companies
  • Defense Acquisition program managers
  • Other government agencies/offices that acquire technology products and services
  • SBIR support companies and services providers.

For more information contact: Andy Talbert (703) 412-3152 between 9:00am – 5:00pm ET or Email conference@esncc.com.

Changing the World: Forbes Lists ATDC Among the World’s Top Incubators

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Forbes Magazine has named Georgia Tech’s science and technology startup accelerator, the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), to its new list of the “ten technology incubators that are changing the world.”  ATDC is the only incubator in the Southeast to be included on the Forbes list.

In its brief description of ATDC, Forbes noted that the program has graduated more than 120 companies since 1980 and that companies associated with ATDC have collectively raised more than $1 billion in outside financing.  “The companies are heavy with Georgia Tech alumni,” the magazine noted, “but that’s not a requirement.”

According to Forbes, the United States has more than 300 incubators that host approximately 6,000 companies.  Many of them associated with universities, the incubators provide a broad range of support, from shared laboratory equipment to accounting and secretarial support, the magazine said.

Incubators like the ATDC, Forbes added, “are increasingly drawing intellectual capital from around the world.”  The magazine said it worked with CB Insights, a New York firm that tracks private-company funding trends – including venture capital private equity and government-backed deals – to select 10 “especially crackling innovation hubs.”

Forbes is the third leading U.S business publication to cite ATDC’s record of success in helping Georgia entrepreneurs.  Inc. Magazine and BusinessWeek had earlier included ATDC on their lists of leading incubators.

Part of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, the ATDC now has more than 300 companies in its program.  ATDC helps Georgia technology entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies.  As part of its incubation and acceleration services, ATDC helps Georgia Tech faculty members and researchers form new companies based on intellectual property developed in the Institute’s $500 million-per-year research program.  ATDC also helps companies compete for and win federal grants through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

“Startups play an essential role in creating new jobs and growing the economy,” noted Stephen Fleming, Georgia Tech vice provost and executive director of the Enterprise Innovation Institute.  “We are proud of the many companies that have emerged from ATDC – and those currently in our program that are Georgia’s technology leaders of the future.”

On May 24th, ATDC will celebrate its 30th anniversary at its annual startup showcase and celebration.  That makes the Forbes honor especially timely, Fleming noted.

“As ATDC prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, this recognition demonstrates that it remains relevant and important to the entrepreneur community in Georgia,” he said.  “As we enjoy this attention, we thank those who have supported ATDC over many years: the Georgia General Assembly, the Georgia Research Alliance, the Georgia Tech administration and all of the volunteers who have shared their time and expertise with companies.  Becoming one of the top programs in the world required long-term investment by many people and organizations.”

Other incubator programs cited in the Forbes list were:

  • The Environmental Business Cluster (San Jose, CA)
  • Houston Technology Center (Houston, TX)
  • The IceHouse (Auckland, New Zealand)
  • Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (Worcester, MA)
  • Palo Alto Research Center (Palo Alto, CA)
  • The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (Champaign, IL)
  • The Technology Innovation Center (Evanston, IL)
  • University Research Park & MGE Innovation Center at the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI)
  • Y Combinator (Mountain View, CA)

– by Nancy Fullbright – April 21, 2010

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