https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Administration


Article

To win federal contracts, focus on the fundamentals (with related video)

To win federal contracts, focus on the fundamentals (with related video)

Jane Dowgwillo tells how Procurement Technical Assistance Centers around the U.S. can be a big help to businesses that want to start selling to government agencies and win government contracts.
  • Written by mikekeat
  • 19th July 2017

Editor’s note: Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) around the U.S. can be a big help to businesses that want to start selling to government agencies and winning government contracts.

A total of 98 Procurement Technical Assistance Centers – with over 300 local offices – form a nationwide network of dedicated procurement professionals working to help local businesses compete successfully in the government marketplace.

GPN reached out to Jane Dowgwillo to find out what strategies work in winning government business as the federal fiscal year 2017 draws to a close on Sept. 30. Dowgwillo is program manager of the Florida PTAC and president of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC). Jane Dowgwillo’s views are below.

Much is made of the government’s fourth quarter spending spree, as federal agencies rush to “use” their appropriated funds before they “lose” them at the end of the fiscal year. Contractors hoping to capture some of these dollars would be wise to focus on fundamentals and leverage all the resources available to them — resources such as those offered by Procurement Technical Assistance Centers.

If you’re not familiar with the PTAC program, you’re missing out on a tremendous source of help, much of which is free of charge. PTACs are funded through cooperative agreements between the U.S. Department of Defense and state/local governments, educational institutions, or non-profits expressly for the purpose of helping local businesses succeed in government contracting. Your PTAC can help you determine if there are end of the year contract opportunities for your business—and how to pursue them.

Which brings us back to fundamentals. There are no tricks or shortcuts in government contracting; success comes from identifying a government buyer who needs what your company sells and demonstrating that you can provide the best product and price. Key components of this process include:

–Market research: A critical first step is to identify the agency buyer(s) most likely to need what your company offers. From there, understanding the quantities they buy, their buying cycle, and past suppliers (as well as other potential competitors) will allow you to anticipate upcoming opportunities and be prepared to submit a competitive bid proposal. A number of government-sponsored and private online databases, including FBO.gov, USAspending.gov, and the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) — to name just a few — deliver a wealth of information to guide your short- and long-term strategies.

–Marketing: Do you have materials on-hand that compellingly make the case for your company, specific to the needs of your targeted buyer(s)? Do you know how to get that information in front of the agency buyers who need to see it? Each piece of your marketing program — from a written capability statement, to your company website and social media presence, to face-to-face opportunities at Industry Days and Matchmaking events —presents a powerful impression of your company and its capabilities. Having each of these pieces in place helps ensure that your bid proposals receive serious consideration.

–Proposal Preparation: Fourth quarter purchasing has a hard deadline. As a result, solicitations often have a short turn-around, and contracting officers are unlikely to waste time considering a proposal that isn’t fully responsive. You must be prepared to understand every line in the solicitation and respond specifically and substantively.

PTACs can help small contractors with each of these tasks and more. They can guide you in the advanced, fine-grained market research needed to find the opportunities – both for prime contracts and possible teaming partners – and set you up with a bid-matching service that delivers opportunities specific to your company directly to your email inbox.

They can make sure you are ready to put your best foot forward to buyers, by helping you develop an effective capability statement, advising you on your web presence, and alerting you to opportunities to get in front of buyers and network with potential teaming partners. And not only can a PTAC counselor help you understand a solicitation and review your proposal to make sure you are being responsive, when you’re awarded a contract, he or she can assist you with post-award compliance issues such as reporting and proper invoice preparation.

Whether you are experienced in the federal marketplace or just pursuing your first contract, a PTAC can help. To learn more about the PTACs and find the one nearest you, visit www.aptac-us.org, the website of our national organization, the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC).

Editor’s note: GPN will be spotlighting government buying and selling opportunities as the end of the federal fiscal year approaches. The topic will be discussed in a series of four Use It or Lose It e-newsletters that will be deployed in July and August before the end of the federal fiscal year on Sept 30, 2017.

Please email michael.keating@penton.com if you’d like to submit a commentary on what federal buyers and contractors need to do before the end of the federal fiscal year, the federal marketplace or similar topic. Go here for a sample issue of the free Use It or Lose It e-newsletter.

In the video, view tips to help you register in GSA’s System for Award Management (SAM) to be eligible for federal government contracts and grants. The video is brought to you by Procurement Technical Assistance Centers around the U.S.

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on Youtube

Tags: Administration Economy Procurement Article

Related


  • Biden’s relief plan includes $350 billion for local and state government
    President-Elect Joe Biden announced a $1.9 trillion relief plan Thursday to combat the COVID-19 crisis and the economic downturn it has caused. In addition to $400 million to combat the pandemic specifically, the proposal includes $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments that would help them to bridge budget shortfalls, help public works maintain […]
  • How Philadelphia is aiming for zero waste
    The city of Philadelphia has long collected data on city properties’ waste generation and leveraged it to improve waste management, but now it’s honing in on the commercial sector too, realizing this will be crucial to hitting Philly’s zero waste targets. Today it runs a voluntary program where both municipal and commercial operations do detailed […]
  • How the City of Fullerton navigated adding candidates to ballots remotely
    This time last year, we were all looking forward to 2020: the start of a new decade and big elections (federally and locally) were just a few of the things we were excited about as we closed out the year. Little did we know, the beginning of the end of “normal” would happen two month […]
  • Signs begging for change
    The 21 neediest American cities in 2021
    Every city has its share of economic issues, but economic disadvantages affects some cities more than others. Is your city among the neediest cities in the U.S.?

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Will digital transformation of city procurement hold up beyond the pandemic?
  • Minneapolis cuts millions from police budget
  • Colorado county’s value-based health care strategy produces savings
  • BhamStrong delivers long-term solutions in uncertain times

White papers


How a unified HR system helps one public safety organization manage crews, payroll, and more in a single platform

7th January 2021

Your Roadmap to COVID-19 Funding

18th December 2020

The One Where Everyone Wins: A Mutually Beneficial Contracting Method

10th December 2020
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The latest episode The Young Leaders Podcast focuses on Cyril Jefferson. Cyril is the youngest African American to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Hillsboro, Oregon is pioneering a new #renewableenergy generation technology through a partnership with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

The impact of the #COVID19 pandemic on #telework was swift and profound. Now, the big question is whether – and to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Get ready for the can't-miss webinar on how to kickstart your efficiency improvement plan with Luke Anderson of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Among all states headed into the 2020 general election, which ones have voting populations that are the most demogr… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in our readership survey to help us shape future content so that we c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

See how cities different approaches to distribute masks in their communities >> spr.ly/6010GAPLa

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

While #facialrecognition is a powerful tool that can improve law enforcement efficiency, that doesn’t necessarily t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X