Message from State Director & APTAC Region 1 Director |
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2021 CT PTAC program year brought much emphasis to new updates in various federal government registration processes but not limited to Sam.gov, Certify.SBA.gov, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification(CMMC) and Veterans Certifications; in addition to the State of CT’s Diversity Supplier Certification which now requires a business to have a Cage Code in Sam.gov.
The CT PTAC team also participated in the APTAC Fall 2021 Hybrid Training Conference in Washington, DC. The conference included training and information sessions presented by PTAC professionals, federal agency officials, private industry experts, and experienced PTAC colleagues to more than 300+ attendees in-person and virtually. Also, during the conference the CT PTAC team gained more insight into the administrative move of the PTAP program from DLA to the Office of Small Business Programs at DoD.
This year also included our successful “Doing Business with Municipalities” series which included three (3) counties and 15+ towns / municipalities with 180 attendees. This has been an amazing year for our client base which has won an estimated $250M in federal, state, municipal and subcontract awards. Happy Holiday!!!
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Jan. 5: Sam.gov Registration Process
Jan. 11: Improving SBA Certification Applications
Jan. 18: Determining Your Proposal Strategy
Jan. 19: Sam.gov Registration Process
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Webinars that build your federal and state contracting acumen |
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Stay Informed! Follow us!
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FYIs from CT PTAC Procurement Specialists |
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Marisol Herrera
Business Development Manager/Procurement Specialist
Fairfield County
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Micro Purchases & Simplified Acquisitions
The federal government works by the following fiscal year:
- The First Quarter (Q1): October 1 – December 31
- The Second Quarter (Q2): January 1 – March 31
- The Third Quarter (Q3): April 1 – June 30
- The Fourth Quarter (Q4): July 1 – September 30
This is important to know because you will want to create a plan that will maximize your chances to win more Micro Purchase, as well as, Simplified Acquisition contracts.
In the government marketplace, Q4 is known for its urgency to spend, especially by utilizing Micro Purchase and Simplified Acquisition methods. Federal agencies must spend the funding that was allocated to them in that year before the end of Q4, September 30th. Agencies have a budget for that year, and if they do not use it, they lose it, so this is an opportune time for contractors to reach out to federal agencies.
Get ready now! Here are suggested tactics. Start early, and conduct market research:
- Find contracts that will be expiring, and reach out to those agencies ahead of time. Building relationships is important with this approach!
- Find agencies buying your products and services, in addition to, having purchased utilizing Micro Purchase & Simplified Acquisition methods
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Yu-Han (Jamie) Yang
Database Manager/Procurement Specialist
East Hartford Office
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Starting October 1, 2021, registering with System for Awards Management (SAM) is a requirement for business to participate in the Supplier Diversity Program. The Connecticut DAS follows the Small Business Administration (SBA) industry size standard to determine business size. CTPTAC is hosting SAM registration webinar twice a month for businesses to learn how to complete the SAM registration. You can also view the on-demand SAM registration webinar in the CTPTAC video library: https://ctptac.org/training-and-events/training-audio-video/
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Ishrat Nazmi
Procurement Specialist
Hartford Office
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What can a Capability Statement do for you?
The Capability Statement introduces your company to a government buyer, or a potential client by organizing your business information that is most vital when seeking a prospective vendor. Learn where and how to use a capability statement to your advantage. It is a powerful marketing tool that can open the door to a new solicitation, connect with a government agency buyer, or a prime contractor who is looking for exactly what your business has to offer. In one page with sections such as, Company Overview, Core Competencies and Company Data it illustrates a business’s capability, capacity with demonstrated track record in Past Performance. The Capability Statement should be tailored to a targeted government agency or a prime contractor. Contact your CTPTAC Counselor today to obtain a government friendly template and assistance with writing a Capability Statement to start your government contracting journey.
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Allisa Young
Procurement Specialist
Groton Office
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Government Marketplace
The Federal, State, & Local Governments spends Billions of dollars each year on a variety of products & services, in which if you understand HOW to do "Market Research" and follow the processes can ultimately become a steady stream of income for your business.
A Government Market Opportunity (GMO) is any opportunity where the initial source of funding stems from a government entity. Government Entities are defined as - Any public agency which operates as a government. These entities include Federal, State, & City Agencies, Counties, Ports, School Districts, etc.
Market Research is key in order to locate which entities are buying your specific products &/or services. Market Research can be done via Authorized Government websites for FREE.
USASpending.Gov is the Official Open Data Source for Federal Spending Information. By using filters in USASpending, you can download "Awarded" opportunities by Fiscal Year. (Please Note that the Government Fiscal Year BEGINS on October 1st.)
For Opportunities within the State of CT, you will want to register your business in CT Source.
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FYIs from our Resource Partners |
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WBDC Programs and Services
Academy for Small Business - Winter 2022
WBDC and Liberty Bank are partnering to offer Academy for Small Business (ASB) for Connecticut small businesses. While the ASB offers small business owners this comprehensive training program, Liberty Bank is offering a $5,000 line of credit¹ to qualifying small business owners in CT who complete the program! The ASB is all part of Liberty Bank’s effort to support economic growth in the CT communities we serve. This program is recommended for existing businesses.
The class will meet Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:00AM to 10:00AM, January 20th through February 24, 2022.
WBDC Funding Opportunities
The Women’s Business Development Council is offering grants of up to $10,000 to qualified women-owned small businesses in Connecticut
The Equity Match Grant Program is designed to help women-owned businesses grow! Grants between $2,500 and $10,000 will be awarded for clearly defined projects that will have a measurable impact on the business, its growth and profitability.
More details on the next round will be announced in mid December and the application process will open in mid January, 2022.
Learn more about WBDC here!
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If you are a women owned company seeking to pursue SBIR/STTR funding, then a new program could help assist you at no cost to your company. Get the benefit of BBCetc’s SBIR/STTR expertise along with Capita3’s leadership training to give you what you need to successfully transform your technology into a viable product or service and secure government funding.
BBCetc is a 2021 winner of the SBA SBIR Catalyst Award for working to increase the representation of women in SBIR/STTR proposal submissions —and CT PTAC is partnering with them to make that happen.
BBCetc and Capita3 are woman-owned businesses, so the Catalyst Advantage Network is more than the result of an award — it’s a passionate commitment to the success of women entrepreneurs.
Right now, scholarships for no-cost leadership training and SBIR consulting are available for a limited time to help women entrepreneurs at any stage of their SBIR journey to move their ideas into the marketplace.
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Small Business Webinar
"How to do Business with GSA"
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General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is hosting a Webinar - "How to do Business with GSA".
The webinar is open to all small businesses looking for additional information and guidance on GSA and our opportunities. This webinar is a comprehensive overview of GSA, which includes discussion on the GSA Schedule program and Public Building Services (PBS).
Date: Friday, January 14, 2022
Time: 9am - 9:30am CDT.
Place: Webinar will be hosted using Zoom and there is no cost to attend this webinar.
Register here, a calendar invite will be sent no later than the day prior to the event.
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Solving the Puzzle of Government Contracting |
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The CTPTAC Team wish you a very happy and safe holiday season!
Frank, Marisol, Ishrat, Allisa, & Jamie
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