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The PTAC is a business and technology extension program of the UNC System. Our 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.
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PTAC Director
252.737.1369
PTAC Advisor
Asheville / Cullowhee
828.251.6025
PTAC Advisor
Raleigh / Chapel Hill / Durham / Elizabeth City
919.513.0623
PTAC Advisor
Fayetteville / Pembroke
910.672.1359
PTAC Advisor/Events Coordinator
Hickory / Boone
828.322.5379
JACQUIE SPEARMAN
PTAC Advisor
Charlotte
704.687.0443
SUE CROTTS
PTAC Advisor
Triad
336.256.9302
JAMES CHESTNUT
PTAC Advisor
Wilmington / Greenville
910.962.3566
JARED WHITCOMB
Supply Chain Advisor
Statewide
704.351.8146
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The Small Business's Path to Winning Federal Government Contracts
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Susan Crotts, NC PTAC, TRIAD Region
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As businesses become government contract ready, they have much to learn and accomplish. A new business concentrates on developing revenue streams and making a profit. This typically takes several years. At the same time, they develop systems, methods and practices to assure financial stability and profitability.
As a business matures, it may seek to diversify their revenue stream with government contracts. The business must assess whether the products or services it sells are something the government buys. The market must be researched, competitors and potential prime or subcontracting partners identified, and strategies for forming relationships with government buyers must be developed and implemented. This requires significant resources including manpower and time.
As a business learns that there is a market for its work products, it must take preliminary steps to qualify as a government vendor. These steps involve registering in the Federal vendor system, SAM and state and local vendor systems. Once registered in SAM, a small business may benefit from applying for federal small business certifications, which involve economic development programs designed to include various underutilized categories of small businesses in government contracts. Sub-categories include: Veteran Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned, HUBZone, Disadvantaged and Women Owned. Companies must apply for verification of their status under a designated category.
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PTAC TRIVIA QUESTION:
How many Small Businesses are located in North Carolina, and how many of these are listed in the Federal Procurement Data Base (beta.SAM.gov)? - answer below.
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Department of Defense Announces Establishment of the Trusted Capital Digital Marketplace
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The Department of Defense is proud to announce the establishment of the Trusted Capital Digital Marketplace (TCDM). The program establishes trusted sources of funding for small and medium-sized providers of innovative defense-critical capabilities, offering long-term strategic benefit and combatting predatory investment practices. On Jan. 13, 2021, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen M. Lord announced the launch of the Trusted Capital program's digital marketplace. The TCDM is the gateway to an investment ecosystem designed to promote innovation and ensure access to trusted sources of capital for emerging technologies and critical capabilities required for national security. Small and medium-sized businesses are vital to the defense industrial base (DIB) and the U.S. economy. Funding is paramount to the success of these firms and newly established businesses are susceptible to predatory investment. According to the current National Counterintelligence Strategy, our Nation's "adversaries use front companies, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, and talent recruitment programs to gain access to and exploit U.S. technology and intellectual property." The TCDM was developed to combat these predatory tactics and promote DIB capabilities. "Trusted Capital works by providing opportunities for trusted financial institutions and qualifying companies to explore mutually beneficial partnerships in support of national security goals," said Lord. "Aligned with the National Defense Strategy, the Trusted Capital program provides a more lethal force by creating new partnerships in order to reform the way the government will provide opportunity for innovation."
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Trusted Capital (TC) is an Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisitions and Sustainment (USD (A&S)) program to strengthen the defense industrial base and limit threats to national security posed by adversarial capital. Trusted Capital provides qualifying small to medium-sized technology capability providers with a range of capital solutions via "trusted" capital providers. To qualify, capability providers and capital providers undergo a national security due diligence process to limit foreign access to critical technology through foreign investments. The TC strategy lays out three lines of effort: Trusted Capital Digital Marketplace, Financial Incentives to invest in national security solutions, and Military Innovation Tours with Venture Capital/Private Equity Industry. To learn more about the Trusted Capital program, visit the website at OUSD A&S - Trusted Capital (osd.mil).
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| By Susan Crotts, NC PTAC, TRIAD Region |
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Custom Contract Furnishings, a division of Whitewood Contracts LLC, is a manufacturer and supplier of solid wood, ready-to-finish furniture established in 1983 and located in High Point, NC. After Covid-19 unfolded, the business found itself rapidly losing sales. The company faced substantial layoffs and was unsure about their future, but they did not give up. Instead, Whitewood Contracts became part of the solution.
Whitewood began pursuing Personal Protective Apparel production in June of 2020 and pivoted from being a furniture manufacturer to a surgical gown manufacturer as Whitewood Contracts LLC, DBA Carolina PPA. With support from PTAC, Whitewood submitted a bid on a billion-dollar federal multiple award contract, bid out by the Defense Logistics Agency to create a national stockpile of surgical gowns. This ultimately resulted in Whitewood's winning gown subcontracts that will range from $20 million to $50 million in revenues for their business. From the challenge of pivoting the company to the new product line, innovation was born. Chris Morris, Vice President of the business, with support from the NC Economic Development Partnership, developed FDA product approval and a new patented production technology to cut and fuse the gowns in one step, eliminating the need for a cut and sew operation. This revolutionary technology enables production to reach 3 million units per month. The impact of this is that in addition to creating a new revenue stream from the government sector, Whitewood Contracts has expanded operations to produce the personal protective apparel gowns. A $300,000 grant from the state's Building Reuse program will support the expansion of a building occupied by the company in Thomasville. They plan to add 80,000 square feet to their existing facility in Davidson County. This project is set to create 39 jobs, with an investment of more than $4.6 million by the company.
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TRIVIA ANSWER:
According to website Gaebler.com, there are 671,810 small businesses located in North Carolina of which 210,232 are listed in the Federal Procurement Data Base (beta.SAM.gov).
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