February 2019 - In This Issue:
ABOUT US

The SBTDC/PTAC Program's purpose is to generate employment and improve the general economic condition of the state by assisting  North Carolina companies including those eligible for business development programs for local, state and federal government contracts. We provide procurement technical assistance by offering no-fee and confidential counseling on selling your products and/or services to the appropriate local, state or federal government agency.

THE TEAM
MARK MILLS
PTAC Program Director
919.600.6096


SCOTT BARKER
PTAC Counselor 
Elizabeth City / Greenville / Wilmington
252.737.1369


PAM RACER
PTAC Counselor 
Asheville / Hickory / Boone / Cullowhee
828.251.6025


JOEL GUGE
PTAC Counselor 
Raleigh / Chapel Hill / Durham
919.513.0623


ROBIN LIVINGSTON
PTAC Counselor 
Fayetteville / Pembroke
910.672.1359


SHARONETTA MCINTYRE

PTAC Counselor 
Greensboro / Winston-Salem
336.256.9301


BROOKLYN DELLINGER

PTAC Counselor/Events Coordinator
Statewide
828.322.5379

UPCOMING EVENTS
Feb 12, 2019
Charlotte, NC
Feb 21, 2019
Charlotte, NC
ADDITIONAL SBTDC RESOURCES
ACCELERATE: A BLOG FOR CEOs OF MID-SIZED FIRMS
SBTDC's Strategy and Growth Services blog, Accelerate, helps CEOs of mid-sized companies make business and leadership improvements through helpful insight, resources, and tools.
Learn more »


TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION SERVICES
The SBTDC's Technology Commercialization Services team provides business counseling to small to mid-sized business owners, university researchers, and entrepreneurs looking to advance their innovations to the marketplace.
Learn more »


INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The SBTDC's International Business Development Specialists assists small and mid-sized businesses with export planning and exporting.
Learn more »
Director's Corner: 
Federal Proposal Writing Workshop
By Mark G. Mills, PTAC Program Director at North Carolina State University
The North Carolina PTAC is offering "Federal Proposal Writing Workshops" in February and March at the following locations:

February 28 - Hickory - 9am - 12pm

March 6 - Asheville - 9am - 12pm

March 13 - Greensboro - 9am - 12pm

March 19 - Winston-Salem - 9am - 12pm

March 27 - Charlotte - 9am - 12pm

These workshops will help you "achieve the maximum proposal evaluation points" by:
  • Identifying contract opportunities that are realistic to your business
  • Understanding how the government describes what it needs
  • Preparing responsive and effective proposals
  • Improving your chances at winning government contracts
The workshops are FREE but you must pre-register www.sbtdc.org/fpww

For additional information please contact 
Brooklyn Dellinger at (828) 322-5379 or bdellinger@sbtdc.org

Catalyst for SBIR/STTR - University of North Carolina - Charlotte - February 21, 2019
Catalyst - Accelerating Research Success. The University of North Carolina - Charlotte Research & Economic Development is offering a half-day session covering SBIR/STTR. The highly competitive Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a Federal funding opportunity with over $2 billion available to support research and development projects. The complementary Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program uses a similar approach to fund public/private sector partnerships between small businesses and universities or research institutions.   Join us on Thursday, February 21st, for a free, informative, half day session, led by  people with decades of experience with the program and featuring successful  awardees and proposal reviewers.


Native Edge Institutes Procurement and Technology at Cherokee, North Carolina - February 21, 2019

NCAID and Artic IT invite you to a one-day technology and leadership forum. The forum will explore technology important to tribes and most important to facets of leadership.  The forum will be held at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, 777 Casino Drive, Cherokee, North Carolina 28719

You must register to attend and the cost is $49.00 https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=393661&

Procurement reform panel issues final report
The Section 809 Panel, established by Congress in the FY16 NDAA to identify ways to improve DoD acquisition, issued its final report on January 15th. The 1,000-page report contains nearly 100 recommendations. You can download the report here: https://section809panel.org volume-3-report. The report recommends increased emphasis on investing in innovative small businesses and many other small business issues. Earlier reports by the panel are here: https://section809panel.org/media/updates.

Federal Government Spending
According to Bloomberg Government, contract spending has grown by almost 6% per year over the past five years as federal agencies increasingly rely on government-wide contract vehicles and simplified acquisition procedures. Bloomberg Government identified five spending trends that developed from Fiscal Year 2014 through Fiscal Year 2018, listed below.

Federal contract spending reached a five-year high in Fiscal Year 2018.
  1. The $560 billion in federal contract spending in Fiscal Year 2018 is the highest level since Fiscal Year 2010, when it hit $562 billion. Bloomberg Government suggests that this could be due to the fact that efforts to slow federal discretionary spending-such as the Budget Control Act, which began imposing annual spending caps in 2013-are having less of an effect as the Trump administration boosts defense spending. Bloomberg Government suggested spending could remain above $550 billion in Fiscal Year 2019 and beyond, whereas annual contract spending averaged $542 billion from Fiscal Year 2008 to Fiscal Year 2012.
  2. Federal spending surged on government-wide acquisition contracts that agencies use to buy information technology (IT), suggesting agencies are relying more on these types of contracts to satisfy IT purchases and modernize legacy systems.
  3. Federal spending on small businesses has risen in lockstep with overall contract spending, meaning that the share of federal dollars won by small businesses has remained relatively flat. From Fiscal Year 2014 through 2018, small-business spending has hovered around 22% of the market.
  4. Spending on indefinite-delivery contracts outpaced obligations on definitive contracts by about $34 billion in Fiscal Year 2018. The share from Fiscal Year 2014 through 2017 was just about evenly split.
  5. Spending through simplified acquisition procedures (SAP), a government process for buying commonly acquired goods and services that fall below a certain price threshold has gradually increased each year since Fiscal Year 2014. Bloomberg Government reported that SAP spending reached the highest amount ever reported in Fiscal Year 2018 and suggested the increase could be attributed to both threshold increases and the fact that SAP allows agencies to cut some red tape.

SELLING TO THE GOVERNMENT

5 West Hargett St., Suite 600
Raleigh, NC 27601
919.600.5998