The U.S. government spends billions with private companies each year. If your product or service can be sold to the government, make sure you are getting some of that pie!
One of the best sources to explore federal contracts is at Procurement and Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) across the state. These centers, managed by the Defense Logistics Agency for the U.S. Department of Defense, provide mostly free assistance to companies who want to do business with the government.
These centers also offer advice on contracting with local and state governments.
PTACs host networking events, hold seminars and offer one-on-one counseling that can help you:
- Determine your suitability for government contracting.
- Ensure you have completed necessary registrations, such as Department of Defense’s Central Contractor Registration (CCR), the SBA’s Dynamic Small Business Search and other government vendor databases.
- Research the procurement history of companies with products and services similar to yours.
- Identify bid opportunities you are eligible for.
- Prepare proposals for contracts, including correct pricing for your product or service.
Once you have secured a contract, PTAC counselors are still available to help you. Services include:
Developing a cost-accounting system.
Marketing
Creating a financing plan.
Developing environmental, quality-control and accident prevention plans.
PTACs in Virginia can also help you navigate state and local governments’ systems for business. The following is a list of Virginia’s PTACs.
Virginia Procurement Technical Assistance Program (Statewide PTAC)
Mason Enterprise Center at George Mason University
http://www.vaptap.org
4031 University Drive., Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 277-7757
Northern Virginia PTAC ( Affiliate of statewide PTAC)
http://www.novaptac.org
4031 University Drive, Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 277-7757
Central Virginia PTAC (Affiliate of statewide PTAC)
http://www.cvptac.org
2211 Hydraulic Road, Suite 103
Charlottesville, VA 22901
(434) 293-2136
Hampton Roads PTAC (Affiliate of statewide PTAC)
http://www.hrptac.org
5300 Palmer Lane, Suite 2A
Williamsburg, VA 23188
Crater Procurement Assistance Center (Regional PTAC)
http://www.craterptac.org
1964 Wakefield St.
Petersburg, VA 23805
Phone: (804) 861-1667
Hampton Roads Procurement Assistance Center (Affiliated with Crater Procurement Center)
http://www.vatpdc.com/hrpac
4111 Monarch Way, Suite 106
Norfolk, VA 23508
(757) 683-5542
Southwest Virginia Community College PTAC (Regional office)
http://www.sw.edu/ptac
P.O. Box SVCC
Richlands, VA 24641
(276) 964-7334
UIDA Business Services (Native American PTAC – Satellite office)
http://www.uida.org
2340 Dulles Corner Boulevard
Herndon, VA 20171
(703) 561-4415
U.S. Small Business Adminsitration
The SBA tries to boost small businesses’ share of government contracts through its Prime Contracts and Subcontracting Assistance Program. The SBA provides counseling for companies seeking to do business with the government. Visit http://www.sba.gov/contracting for more information.
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