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Summer
2010
Vol 6, Issue 3 |
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The old saying “time is money” could not be more true for small business owners in today’s global economy. For those individuals working on local, state and federal contracts or those wanting to delve into this arena PROBID may be the ticket. PROBID is simple and extremely flexible – allowing you to use a variety of search strategies. Access to over 500 government contracting sources from one location means you don’t have to search daily for opportunities. You will receive results from some of the top procurement sites:
For $225.00 annual fee (plus a $50 one-time set-up charge), you will receive 12 months of available government sales leads e-mailed to you daily. If you break down the $275.00 over 52 weeks, it will cost you $5.29 a week. I would encourage you to stop searching and sign up for PROBID because “time is money”. Subscribe to PROBID online at www.sbtdc.org/probid or contact a PTAC counselor at 1-800-258-0862. Thank you, |
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2010 SBA North Carolina Veteran’s Small Business Conference to be Held in Jacksonville - Aug 5
The 2010 SBA North Carolina Veteran's Small Business Conference will be held in Jacksonville on August 5 from 8:00am - 1:00pm. The half-day event will offer veterans, active duty, reservists, and their spouses the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship in two tracks: (1) starting a business; or (2) expanding a small business. Business seminar topics include Government Contracting Basics, Subcontracting, Contracting Legal and Accounting Issues, Marketing, Financing a Business and Business Start-up Basics. Participants will have an opportunity to network with other veteran business owners and service providers to help them become successful business owners.
The keynote speaker will be Veteran small business owner Kevin Helmick, owner of Technical Control Consultants in Bridgeton, NC. TC2 provides critical communications engineering support to the US Government, specifically, the Department of Defense, and to the corporate sector that supports them.
The conference is sponsored by the SBA, NC Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC), NC Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), the NC Military Business Center (NCMBC), Coastal Carolina Community College and the City of Jacksonville.
| Where: | Jacksonville City Hall, 815 New Bridge Street, Jacksonville, NC |
| Cost: | $20 (cost covers refreshments and materials) |
| Register: | ONLINE: Register and pay by credit card at www.sbtdc.org/events/vet. MAIL: Print form/brochure online at www.sba.gov/nc and send checks (no cash) to: SBTDC, 5 West Hargett Street, Suite 600 Raleigh, NC 27601 |
| Questions: | Don Spry, SBA - (910) 815-3188; E-mail: don.spry@sba.gov |
Government Contracts a Lesson in Patience
By: Emily Maltby, The Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Like many business owners who have suffered during the downturn, Randy Lebolo decided the most reliable client for his small construction firm would be Uncle Sam.
When the real-estate market was in free fall nearly two years ago, Mr. Lebolo decided to shave staff, negotiate with his landlord for a lower lease, and begin the long process of becoming certified to bid on federal work opportunities. He finally won his first government contract recently to remodel a courtroom in a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., courthouse. But the job pays just $250,000, not nearly the lucrative amount Mr. Lebolo—who says his Boynton Beach, Fla., firm had a history of multimillion-dollar commercial construction jobs before the downturn—thought he'd land.
Many small businesses are learning that it's not always easy to get a foot in the government's door, and the rewards might not always seem worth the hassle. Winning a government contract can require massive amounts of research, long wait times and capital—all difficult investments for a struggling enterprise.
Documentation is required to prove small-business eligibility and to obtain a number of certifications and registrations. Owners need to learn which agencies are best to target, how to write a government proposal and how to network with procurement agents. Read more at WSJ.com...
Military Costs Under Review in Bid to Trim Waste
By Christopher Drew, The New York Times
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Pentagon’s effort to cut more than $100 billion in administrative costs over the next several years is expected to take a new direction on Monday with proposals that could lower profits for military companies.
Industry officials said that Ashton B. Carter, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, had called a meeting with contractors and lobbyists to address ways to cut waste. In addition to trimming its own bureaucracy, the Pentagon is looking for savings in how it hands out hundreds of billions of dollars in contracts for weapons and services each year.
Mr. Carter is expected to question overhead costs built into many deals and the amount of profit on certain types of contracts, the industry officials said. Congressional auditors have long criticized the Pentagon for awarding too many contracts in which it covers all the costs and pays sizable fees even when companies have trouble performing. Read more at the NYTimes.com...
PTAC Client Success Stories
Petra Precision Machining & Design, Inc.
Petra Precision Machining & Design, Inc. is an S-Corporation in Goldsboro, NC. They have been in business since 2005 but Earnest Richard, the owner, has 22 years experience in the machine and design industry. Petra is family-owned and operated and provides machine shop services for aerospace, aviation, automotive, medical and textiles industries. With assistance from NC State Industrial Extension Service (IES) and Wayne Community College, they received AS 9100 and ISO certifications. This postured Petra for government contracts including subcontract work through many prime contractors in the industries named above.
Petra had no real experience with government bidding so they were referred to their local SBTDC/PTAC office by IES for assistance with doing business with the government. The PTAC counselor assisted the owner in reviewing solicitations and bidding online in Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) Internet Bid Board System (DIBBS). Because of this assistance, the company has received a few small awards from government and a prime contractor.
The PTAC counselor also introduced Petra to the Tier 1 county counselor and he has been working with them on their financials and other general business related items.
Petra is excited about continuing their relationship with government agencies and prime contractors. They also look forward to their ongoing relationship with the SBTDC. Learn more about Petra at www.petraprecisionm.com.
Highland Mapping Inc.
Highland Mapping Inc. is a geographic information system company based in Banner Elk, NC, that offers consulting and custom mapping services to its clients. Company owner Eric Neel began working with PTAC in November 2009 looking to grow his customer base of municipal governments as well as diversify his customers to include federal contracts. PTAC provided the client with resources and information to better identify government contract opportunities and to navigate the government marketplace. In addition, the company networked and participated in the Opportunities 2010 government contracting conference held at Asheville’s Grove Park Inn.
In April 2010, Highland Mapping Inc. received a $152,000 contract with Mitchell County, N.C. to completely update its property parcel database. This process will involve moving Mitchell County’s property data stored on Mylar and paper tax records to a digital geographic information system. Highland Mapping Inc. is also providing training and support to help facilitate the transition to the new system. The company will continue working with PTAC to pursue federal GIS opportunities. Learn more about Highland Mapping Inc. at www.highlandmapping.com.
Electronic Systems Protection
Electron Systems Protection (ESP) is the leading manufacturer of power protection technology for the office technology industry. For nearly 20 years, ESP has manufactured patented power filtration and power protection technology and is the choice for power protection by many of the world’s premier electronic equipment manufacturers and organizations. ESP has enjoyed success providing power filtration and protection technology to office equipment manufactures for nearly 20 years. Recognizing the numerous government applications for their products, ESP contacted the NC PTAC for assistance on navigating the State and Federal government sales processes. Shortly after our first meeting, we found a solicitation on the North Carolina Interactive Purchasing System for UNC requirement of 200 units of ESP’s technology. With PTAC’s help, ESP was able to submit a quote and win the bid for the UNC contract. ESP continues to work with PTAC to further develop their government sales opportunities.
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