Have you taken advantage of our free training?

Many of you have attended a PTAC workshop in the past or sat in at an event where we were presenting on some technical subject. As you know, we present on a wide range of subjects and we do all of that for free. Teaching and training is something that we actually enjoy doing.

But we have a great training resource available that many of you have not used and may not have even heard about. It’s an online service called Govology. They have dozens of on-demand courses and webinars on numerous important subjects to small businesses, including: government contracting, proposal development, market research, cybersecurity, SBIR/STTR, subcontracting and many more.

It’s a great service. We even use it for some of our own staff training. Anyone can use Govology for a fee. Their courses start at $75 each and go up from there.

As a Maine PTAC client we can offer you access to all of their training courses for free. That’s right - zip, zilch, nada. That’s thousands of dollars of quality training that you can get access to for free, merely by becoming a Maine PTAC client. Oh and that’s free as well.

If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please reach out to your local PTAC Counselor. They will be happy to get you running with Govology.

Are you interested in selling your goods or services to the government?

Join us on April 25th and 26th in Portland Maine and build long lasting relationships through networking, training, and one-on-one meetings.

This is your opportunity to meet federal/state agencies, prime contractors and other small businesses.

Learn more and register by visiting the 2019 New England Region Matchmaker website .

The Importance of a Capability Statement

THOMAS M. WHITE | ASSOCIATE PROCUREMENT COUNSELOR - CENTRAL

With the #NewEnglandMatchmaker happening later this month, it’s time to either write or revisit your company’s capability statement. A capability statement is “a business document or record of your individual and organizational competencies, achievements, associations, and accreditations. Its purpose is to communicate clearly and effectively to potential business partners, stakeholders, suppliers, customers and even employees about your business and business capabilities.”

Much like your own resume, your capability statement presents your business to the reader. While at the New England Matchmaker, your capability statement will coincide and work with your elevator speech. This is your opportunity to make a positive and lasting impression and market your company for future work.

Maine PTAC will assisting businesses with Matchmaker perpetration leading up to the event, happening on April 25th and 26th at the DoubleTree in Portland, Maine. Counselors will be holding Matchmaker Preparation Workshops and can be reached for more one-on-one counseling opportunities to review your capability statement. Learn more and register for preparation events and the Matchmaker at www.maineptac.org.

Getting Certified: Women-Owned Small Business

BRYAN WALLACE | PTAC COUNSELOR - MIDCOAST

The federal government reserves contracts for competition among small businesses that are owned by women. You may have heard these contracts more commonly referred to as “set-aside contracts”. If you are a woman and you own a business you should consider obtaining this certification! Businesses can certify for the Women-Owned Small Business federal contracting program (WOSB) through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Eligibility requirements for WOSB status include:

For more information you can visit www.sba.gov. Maine PTAC counselors are happy to guide you through your application process, so don’t hesitate to reach out.

SBIR and STTR, what are they?

KATIE BRAGG | PTAC COUNSELOR - DOWNEAST

You may have heard your PTAC counselor mention SBIR or STTR, but do you know what it is? SBIR is the Small Business Innovation Research program and STTR is the Small Business Technology Transfer program, both run by the Small Business Administration. 

SBIR focuses on small businesses in the United States in hopes of getting them involved in the research and development of technology on the Federal level. The anticipation is that through this competitive award process, a small business can grow their technological innovation while assisting the Federal government’s needs in research and development. The expectation is that this technology can then be commercialized. Many government agencies take part in the SBIR program like the Dept. of Education, Dept. of Defense, and Dept. of Homeland Security, to name a few.

STTR also works to expand the research and development of technology. This program encourages collaboration between the small businesses and research institutions, like colleges and universities. Like the SBIR program, STTR is looking at commercialization of the innovative technology that can come this kind of research and development. Five agencies currently participate in STTR, Dept. of Defense, Dept. of energy, Dept. of Health & Human Services, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.

To find out more about this program, contact your PTAC counselor.

Federal Past Performance Evaluations: A Key to Future Contracting Opportunities

DANA DELANO | PTAC COUNSELOR - NORTH

It can be difficult to win that first contract award because contracting officers do not know you or your business and have nothing to review in the area of “past performance” of work completed for the federal government. That is why being awarded your first contract and completing your contract with a positive past performance evaluation is so important for future awards.

Past performance refers to performance on “active and physically completed contracts”. The primary purpose of past performance evaluations is to ensure the contractor is held accountable for its performance and that accurate data on contractor performance is current and available for use in source selections down the road. It is an indicator of future performance and is one of the most relevant factors that a selection official will consider in awarding a contract.

How is a contractor performance evaluated? Contractor performance will typically be assessed on the following technical evaluation factors: technical ability to provide the product or service, cost control, schedule in timeliness, management of business relations with the contracting agency and their small business subcontracting plan, if applicable.

Each factor is evaluated and rated in accordance with a five-scale rating system: exceptional, very good, satisfactory, marginal, and unsatisfactory, and a narrative which supports the rating assigned.

It is imperative you are aware that your past performance evaluation is of the utmost importance for future contracts. Plan and implement your work accordingly with constant communicate with your contracting officer to ensure a positive performance rating. For more information, contact your Maine PTAC Counselor; it is what we do.