Health Care Apparel by Marie
Dunn, NC
Health Care Apparel by Marie, a small, woman, and minority-owned business in Dunn, NC, looked to enter the government procurement arena in only their third month of operation. With only three employees, they needed assistance in getting started in government contracting and contacted our Fayetteville PTAC. Our PTAC counselor began by assisting them with their CCR registration and proposal writing. Additionally, the counselor suggested that they apply for HUBZone (http://www.sba.gov/hubzone) and 8(a) (http://www.sba.gov/8abd) certification, which increases their ability to bid on opportunities, such as set-aside solicitations.
Since that time, their business has grown from two employees to fourteen. Vice president Stephanie Elliott credits the assistance she received from PTAC "as one of the main reasons for our businesses' successful development." In fact, in the past month, Health Care Apparel by Marie won a three-year contract to manufacture pillow cases for the North Carolina Department of Corrections (DOC) (http://www.doc.state.nc.us/), which is valued at $429,000. More recently, they won a contract from the NC DOC to supply 750,000 paper bags. These contracts will allow this mother and daughter-owned company to continue their trend of robust business growth.
Stephanie looks for all kinds of opportunities using the numerous government
websites listing contract award solicitations. "It hasn't all been easy,"
Stephanie explains, "like the contract we lost for hospital uniforms-it
just didn't work out." "But I didn't let that discourage my efforts
for seeking out other opportunities." Health Care Apparel by Marie looks
forward to the time when they will need to enlarge their work space and hire
even more seamstresses to fulfill future contracts.
Sawyer's Lawn Care
Hertford, NC
Sawyer's Lawn Care, a small business located in Hertford, NC, has been awarded a contract for grounds maintenance and landscaping services at the US Coast Guard Aircraft Maintenance and Re-Supply facility in Elizabeth City, NC.
Paula DuVall was referred to the PTAC by the Small Business Center at the College of the Albemarle (COA) in Elizabeth City in January, 2005. Ms. DuVall advised her PTAC counselor that Sawyer's Lawn Care had worked for local governmental entities including school systems and parks and recreation departments but had never pursued a relationship with the federal government as a prime contractor. She requested PTAC assistance to prepare and position her company to compete for work with federal clients.
Networking with contacts in the industry provided her with information indicating
that the US Coast Guard might be seeking qualified vendors to provide services
at the base in Elizabeth City (http://www.uscg.mil/d5/airstation/ecity/)
during the summer of 2005. Sawyer's wanted to compete for this opportunity.
Ms. DuVall started by completing Central Contractor Registration (CCR) (http://www.ccr.gov)
as is required of all companies wishing to sell to the federal government. She
and our PTAC counselor discussed methods for accessing information regarding
current and upcoming contracts. Ms. DuVall spoke to the Contracting Officer's
Technical Representative (COTR) charged with managing the Coast Guard's existing
maintenance contract in Elizabeth City. She was advised that the contract would
be coming up for renewal and began monitoring FedBizOpps (http://www.fedbizopps.gov)
for the solicitation notice.
Ms. DuVall and her PTAC counselor conferred immediately after the opportunity was posted on March 28, 2005. The solicitation and attachments comprised 60 pages of information. Two representatives of Sawyer's Lawn Care and our PTAC counselor met and reviewed the solicitation line by line. They reviewed and discussed contract provisions and requirements, the scope of work, and how Ms. DuVall would address the requirements in her bid offer. They also discussed strategies for pricing and means that she could employ to market her capabilities and experience to the Coast Guard. Ms. DuVall continued to consult with the PTAC on a range of subjects as she prepared her bid. She also engaged the COTR effectively for the purpose of gaining complete knowledge about the contract requirements, to familiarize the company with the base and facilities that would be maintained under the contract, and to develop a relationship with base personnel that would have responsibility for administering the work on behalf of the Coast Guard.
In May 2005, Sawyer's Lawn Care was awarded a one-year contract with renewal options for four additional years. The company has expanded its workforce and now employs four people working full time on the base. Subcontractors may be engaged to fulfill some aspects of the contract thus extending economic benefit to other companies in the area. Sawyer's winning bid resulted from a concentrated effort to understand how to compile and submit a complete and responsive bid package, dedication of many hours of work to compile their response, and an effective marketing approach that convinced the Coast Guard that they were the best firm for the job.
Ms. DuVall said, "Sawyer's Lawn Care is extremely pleased to have been
selected as a contractor serving the US Coast Guard in Elizabeth City. The bid
process can be intimidating to those not familiar with federal contracting.
With the help of the PTAC, we were able to submit a successful bid on our first
attempt. We are committed to perform at a high level and look forward to a long
and mutually beneficial relationship with the Coast Guard."