State and federal procurement can be a daunting process to someone who has not gone through it before. This month there will be an opportunity to speak with contracting agencies all at one event, and procurement specialists present to help business owners get past intimidating barriers by offering workshops and meetings at vender booths.
The Procurement and Resource Fair will be held on August 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Fortune Bay Resort Casino, located in Tower at 1430 Bois Forte Road on Lake Vermilion. The event is sponsored by Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, in cooperation with the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, U.S. Small Business Administration and UIDA Business Services.
Arlette Abrahamson, area manager, Northern Minnesota PTAC in Bemidji, said the event is an attempt to get government entities, the buyers that work in each of the primary procurement agencies in state and federal government, to be present to share information with clients on what they need to do to sell product and services to these entities.
“All of them are there to help the small business person get the information they need to get their products or service sold to these companies,” said Abrahamson. “This is a free procurement fair, and the only thing they have to do is register.”
A few of the state and federal procurement opportunities for local contractors in Borderland include the Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Immigration, Voyageurs National Park, Falls International Airport and the Federal Aeronautics Agency.
Bring plenty of business cards, brochures or several one-page descriptions of the business or service that would be considered. Participants should expect to spend about one to two minutes with each representative, in addition to the workshops.
Abrahamson will teach a basics of procurement workshop and will schedule consultations with participants after this fair. She will also teach procurement basics class at Rainy River Community College this November. She said that the Tower event is also for people that are looking at starting a small business and want to consider selling to government markets.
A full day of workshops will cover:
• Basics of Selling to the Government
• Starting a Business
• Joint Venture and Teaming Agreements
• Financial Fundamentals
• Understanding GSA Multiple Award Schedules
• Marketing: Know Your Customer
• Steps to Government Marketing: Central Contractor Registration
• DBE Certification Program
• 8(a) Business Development and HUBZone Programs
• Subcontracting Program and Plan Reviews
• Assistance for Native American-Owned Companies
The Selling to the State of Minnesota workshop topics will include:
• State purchasing practices
• Where the dollars come from
• How the dollars can be spent
• How to get registered as a vendor
• Where to find business opportunities
• State expectations of contractors
Government contracting offers a small business a new market. It may be a complex and time consuming effort at first to register and compete for even the smallest contract, but it can lead down a lucrative path for companies with solid management and a record of good customer satisfaction.
The Procurement Technical Assistance Center provides client fee based counseling and procurement technical assistance to businesses seeking to secure government contracts. PTAC offers an array of classes around the state with staff support to help navigate the complicated path to federal, state and local government contracts.
In the 2006-2007 federal fiscal year, PTAC worked with 887 companies and sponsored 49 workshops on various government topics in Minnesota. This assistance helped over 300 of these companies in securing $355 million in awards.
The event is free but registration is required. Register online at www.ptac-meda.net. Then, click on Training, then on Calendar and scroll down to Procurement Fair. For more information contact Arlette Abrahamson at 218-333-0795 or email aabrahamson@meda.net.
