Maine PTAC News - June 2019

Program Year in Review

You probably don’t realize it, but May 31st was an important date for Maine PTAC. It marked the end of our program year.

Due to the number of PTACs nationally, we typically have different start and end dates for our operating periods. Maine’s “program year” runs from June 1st to May 31st. Since it started in 2018, it is known as Program Year 2018, or just PY18.

Our PY18 was a busy and remarkable year. We lost staff, but added even more. We have five procurement counselors across the state for the first time since 2011. We added a business development specialist to help us promote the program and identify/qualify new clients. We hosted a successful New England Matchmaker and participated in the first ever National PTAC Day. And we had a lot of fun helping all of you along the way. Yes, we really did.

We take a few measurements of our progress in helping clients. These metrics are collected all year and reported nationally. I’m proud to say that we surpassed all of our goals. We added or reactivated 322 New Clients this year, 298% of our goal. We hosted and/or attended 95 Participating events this year, 156% of our goal. And we conducted over 2,300 hours of direct Counseling time assisting you with all of your procurement needs. And while we do not have goals for awards by our clients, it’s really the ultimate measure of your/our success. The award numbers are still being compiled for the year, but I expect it will exceed well over $400 million. Congratulations!

We are already hard at work on PY19. Your local PTAC Counselor is ready and waiting to assist you.

Ken Bloch

Maine PTAC Program Manager

Confused by your Bidmatch?

THOMAS M. WHITE | ASSOCIATE PROCUREMENT COUNSELOR - CENTRAL

Many of our clients take advantage of our free Bidmatch Service, a customized profile for our system to use to assist you in finding new government contracting opportunities. Here are a few tips for our clients to use while reading a Federal solicitation that you get from Bidmatch.

Some important elements to look for in announcements are:

Solicitation Number: This will usually be located following the title and be found in all caps.
Due Date: This will usually follow the Solicitation Number. This is the deadline for submitting a quote or proposal.
Point of Contact (POC): There is no structure or typical routine to the formatting of the POC, but in the example below you will see that it follows both the Solicitation Number and Due Date. Sometimes this will be found either at the very beginning or end of the notice. Remember to always read the entire announcement before calling the POC!

General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service (PBS), R7 Acquisition Management (7PQD) Energy and Acquisition Support Branch (47PH11), 819 Taylor St. Room 12B01 Fort Worth TX 76102

Z -- LED Lighting, Lubbock Federal Office Building 47PH1119R0003 070919 Brian T. Dwyer, Contracting Officer, Phone 8179787336, Email [email protected] This modification is to post the solicitation.

A site visit will be held June 19, 2019 at 9:30 am CST, in the First Floor Conference Rm, 1205 Texas Ave, Lubbock, TX 79401. Contact Sha'Mar Nolen at [email protected] or (817)850-8283 if you plan to attend.

Set-Aside: Total Small Business Place of Performance: G.H. Mahon federal Building 1205 Texas Ave Lubbock, TX 79401 US URL: https://www.fbo.gov/notices/8296c29452849742d305db01e39171a

OutreachSystems Article Number: 20190605/PROCURE/0757

Matching keyword(s): naics!238210;

If you ever have questions regarding your Bidmatch and what a notice means, contact your local PTAC counselor. If you’re not already taking advantage of our free Bidmatch service, then contact a local PTAC counselor to get started. To find your counselor visit us a www.maineptac.org.

2020; Done with DUNS?

BRYAN WALLACE | PTAC COUNSELOR - MIDCOAST

Earlier this year, the General Services Administration (GSA) awarded a contract worth $41.75 million to Ernst and Young LLP, to replace the current federal contractor numbering system, your DUNS, with a System for Award Management Managed Identifier, or SAMMI.

Two major benefits for SAMMI include improvements to data security as well as simplifying the renewal process of government contracts and grants. Hooray!

The transition is estimated to be completed by the end of 2020 and no doubt, several consultants and companies will be offering to assist you with the transition – for a fee.

There’s no need to panic. If your business is already registered in SAM, there will be a transition process and Maine PTAC counselors will be ready to advise/assist you for FREE!

Registrations & Certifications

KATIE BRAGG | PTAC COUNSELOR - DOWNEAST

I’m sure that you have heard your PTAC counselor say that they can help with registrations and certifications but what exactly does that mean? These registrations and certifications are there to help your small business be eligible for certain work or jobs. To work through these registrations and certifications can be a complicated process at times and your PTAC counselor can help. Here are a few of the ones that you may have heard of and some that may be new to you.

Sam.gov: This is System for Award Management is a government run site that serves as a central registration point for government contractors. Any Federal work that you would like to do will require this registration to be active.
Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB): If you are a woman and own at least 51% of your business you should be WOSB certified. This is a self-certification process that your PTAC counselor can assist you with. It consists of uploading documents to the SBA (Small Business Administration) proving that you are in fact a woman owned small business.
HUBZone: Historically Underutilized Business Zone: If you are in a HUBZone (call your PTAC counselor to find out) you should be certified. This process is one that we at Maine PTAC can assist you with and will give your business more opportunities.
8(a) Business Development Program: This program offers more opportunities to businesses that are owned by 51% socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

If any of these are something that you feel your business could benefit from, please contact your PTAC counselor and see if you qualify for these as well as other certifications and registrations.

The Federal Government's Small Business Policy Concerning Contracting Opportunities

DANA DELANO | PTAC COUNSELOR - NORTH

The federal government’s general policy pertaining to small business programs is addressed in FAR 19.201(a):

It is the policy of the Government to provide maximum practicable opportunities in its acquisitions to small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns. Such concerns must also have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate as subcontractors in the contracts awarded by any executive agency, consistent with efficient contract performance. The Small Business Administration (SBA) counsels and assists small business concerns and assists contracting personnel to ensure that a fair proportion of contracts for supplies and services are placed with small business.

Maine PTAC works closely with SBA officials to help educate our small business clients and to monitor agencies solicitation practices to ensure a fair and just position for our clients. Keep a close watch for workshops and meetings that are presented to keep you up to date with these opportunities.

Federal Grant Opportunities for Science and Technology Companies

ED DAHL | PTAC COUNSELOR - SOUTHWEST

Research and development is critical to the success of technology-based companies. However, investment capital to fund R&D is not always available for small businesses. Federal grants and contracts can sometimes be a source of capital to fund or augment R&D for small businesses.

The federal government has 26 grant making agencies that have over 900 individual grant programs. This translates into over $350 B awarded annually. Knowing which program will fund your needs and how to locate these opportunities is necessary to tap this pool of money for your small business.

In general, grants or contracts funding R&D are awarded through set programs for commercial products:

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program
Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program
Advanced Technology Program (ATP) funded by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Broad Agency Announcements (BAA)
Unsolicited Defense contracts

There is a wealth of opportunity for funding research and development endeavors for small businesses at the federal level. Awareness of these opportunities is the first step in developing a strategic plan on how to effectively use federal grants and contracts to further the goals of your business. For additional information, contact your PTAC counselor.