Georgia Tech offers free government contracting classes this fall!
August 31, 2012 by cs
The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center is sponsoring a series of free classes in September, October and November to help your business become more successful in the governmnet contracting arena. Best of all, the classes are taught right here in Albany!
Below is a list of what coming up next. To find more details, click on the class title. To register for a class, just click on “Sign Up.”
What is a “Capabilities Statement”? – and Why You Should Have One! |
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| Event Status: | Open | Event Fee: | $0.00 |
| Event Date: | 9/12/2012 | Register By: | 9/11/2012 |
| Time: | 11:00 – 1:00 p.m. | ||
| Event Location: | 125 Pine Ave., Albany, GA 31701-2502 | ||
| Description: | In order to effectively market yourself in the government sector, you should have a corporate résumé. Government agencies call this a Capabilities Statement. A Capabilities Statement should contain information to tell buyers why you’re an expert a… | ||
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How to Create a Great Elevator Speech |
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| Event Status: | Open | Event Fee: | $0.00 |
| Event Date: | 9/13/2012 | Register By: | 9/12/2012 |
| Time: | 11:00 – 12:00 p.m. | ||
| Event Location: | 125 Pine Ave., Albany, GA 31701-2502 | ||
| Description: | Ever wondered how to introduce your business to a government buyer? Like everything else, there’s a right way and a wrong way. Government officials are often pressed for time, so you usually have a limited amount of time to “sell yourself.” This w… | ||
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Fundamentals of Working with the Government |
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| Event Status: | Open | Event Fee: | $0.00 |
| Event Date: | 10/17/2012 | Register By: | 10/16/2012 |
| Time: | 11:00 – 1:00 p.m. | ||
| Event Location: | 125 Pine Ave., Albany, GA 31701-2502 | ||
| Description: | Interested in the government marketplace but not sure where to start? Need to know how to get started? These questions and more will be answered in this lunchtime briefing on government contracting. This briefing is the perfect place for a busy bu… | ||
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Business Development in the Government Market |
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| Event Status: | Open | Event Fee: | $0.00 |
| Event Date: | 10/18/2012 | Register By: | 10/17/2012 |
| Time: | 11:00 – 1:00 p.m. | ||
| Event Location: | 125 Pine Ave., Albany, GA 31701-2502 | ||
| Description: | If you’ve ever wondered how State agencies, cities, counties, school boards, and authorities buy their goods and services, then this is the class for you. You will learn how to register as a vendor, who to contact, where to find opportunities, wha… | ||
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What is a “Capabilities Statement”? – and Why You Should Have One! |
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| Event Status: | Open | Event Fee: | $0.00 |
| Event Date: | 11/14/2012 | Register By: | 11/13/2012 |
| Time: | 11:00 – 1:00 p.m. | ||
| Event Location: | 125 Pine Ave., Albany, GA 31701-2502 | ||
| Description: | In order to effectively market yourself in the government sector, you should have a corporate résumé. Government agencies call this a Capabilities Statement. A Capabilities Statement should contain information to tell buyers why you’re an expert a… | ||
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How to Create a Great Elevator Speech |
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| Event Status: | Open | Event Fee: | $0.00 |
| Event Date: | 11/15/2012 | Register By: | 11/14/2012 |
| Time: | 11:00 – 12:00 p.m. | ||
| Event Location: | 125 Pine Ave., Albany, GA 31701-2502 | ||
| Description: | Ever wondered how to introduce your business to a government buyer? Like everything else, there’s a right way and a wrong way. Government officials are often pressed for time, so you usually have a limited amount of time to “sell yourself.” This w… | ||
| Sign Up | |||
14 tips for attending a government expo or trade show
July 18, 2012 by cs
Federal, state and local government agencies frequently host trade shows or expos to publicize their contract opportunities and attract new vendors. Wonder whether you should attend a government-sponsored business expo? What should you expect if you go? How should you prepare? Are you disappointed in the last trade show you attended?
These are the kinds of questions often posed by businesses we’re helping as a part of the Albany Small Business Procurement Program. Fundamentally, businesses want to know how they can gain a competitive advantage by attending an event sponsored by a government agency. The answer lies as much in preparation and follow-up as it does in actual attendance.
These kinds of events are what you make them. If you go to just listen, you may come away disappointed. If, on the other hand, you go to make something happen, you can come away with some good contacts,valuable insights, and solid business leads.
Here are a few tips …
- Establish some objectives for yourself – what do you hope to accomplish by attending? State this in concrete, quantifiable terms.
- Think about the specific kinds of opportunities you want to go after and be prepared to explain how you represent the solution to the government’s contracting objectives.
- Identify who is going to be in attendance and research in advance as much as you can about who will be there and those persons you want to meet. Think about why they are going to the show and what they want to accomplish there – align yourself with their objectives.
- Familiarize yourself with all details of the show so that you can envision how you are going to use the structure of the show to accomplish your objectives.
- Be prepared with marketing materials, including business cards, brochures and/or product/service fact sheets, product samples/portfolio, and a detailed capabilities statement. (Don’t have a capabilities statement? See our article on this subject here.) Tailor at least one of your handouts to the expo or show itself.
- Be prepared to talk about pricing. You may not need to, but be prepared just in case someone asks.
- Begin to envision how your competitors at the show can be potential partners as a result of the show.
- Develop and be prepared to deliver a 30-second “elevator speech” which explains in layman’s terms exactly what you are an expert at doing. Don’t be shy to explain what’s special about your company and why your products/services are the best. (If you need help constructing an elevator speech, see our article at http://www.albanysmallbiz.org/2011/04/whats-an-elevator-pitch-and-why-you-need-one.)
- Remember that buyers don’t have time to waste. Buyers want specific information, and buyers want to know what’s special about you (that’s your competitive advantage).
- Preparation is essential. It’s better not to go than to go unprepared – you never have a second chance to make a good first impression.
- Dress to impress. And wear comfortable shoes!
- At the show, listen to how your competitors are selling themselves and learn as much about their marketing as possible. Also learn from their mistakes.
- Understand that follow-up after the show is critical. Gather all the business cards you collected, write follow-up notes or emails – promptly. Set-up follow-up meetings/conference calls, if possible and appropriate. Send more marketing materials.
- Write yourself a report on lessons-learned. Review this report before planning to participate in another event.
We will be glad to elaborate on this topic and provide you with additional advice. You can find our contact information by clicking right here.
Perry, GA the place to be Nov. 15-17 to learn about business opportunities at Robins Air Force Base
October 14, 2011 by ei2admin
The Robins AFB and the Air Logistics Center will be holding its annual “Requirements Symposium” on Nov. 15-17, 2011 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter, Perry GA.
This is a unique 3-day event where senior leaders and managers at Robins Air Force Base share their current and future business requirements and organizational vision of the future. This insight into requirements at Robins AFB and the Air Logistics Center allows aerospace industries and businesses to appropriately plan for capabilities to support the needs at Robins AFB and the Warfighters they service.
The base and WR-ALC spend approximately $4.1 Billion dollars each year. By attending, you can see if you can help provide what is needed.
The agenda looks like this:
- Tuesday, November 15 – Optional Golf Tournament at Robins AFB Golf Course
- Tuesday, November 15 – Pre-symposium registration at Museum of Aviation Century of Flight Building
- Tuesday, November 15 – Contractor Vendor Booths, Century of Flight Building
- Tuesday, November 15 – Evening Social, Century of Flight Building
- Wednesday, November 16 – Thursday, November 17, 2011 – Symposium at Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter
On-line registration for this event opens in July. Watch this site — http://www.wrcoc-aic.org/Page8.aspx — for details.
Archives of previous years’ Symposium events may be found at: http://www.wrcoc-aic.org/Page9.aspx
Plan to attend our double-header on Sept. 7th!
September 1, 2011 by ei2admin
Albany-Dougherty area businesses can attend a double-header on Wednesday, Sept. 9th!
This double-header isn’t about baseball. But if you want to learn the most important steps to take to win a government contract and the most important section of a government bid document, our double-header is the place to be.
From 10 until 11 a.m., you can attend our class entitled “Fundamentals of Working with the Government.” This class is for newcomers to the government contracting arena — or for anyone who needs a refresher on the actions you should take and the things you need to have in place in order to effectively compete for government contracts.
Then, from 11 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., you can attend another terrific class – “Preparing Successful Bids and Proposals.” This class is perfect for anyone who is looking for tips and instruction on how to prepare a bid or proposal to a government agency. Special instructions will be given on bidding on City of Albany and Dougherty County contracts. Details about state and federal contracts will be covered, too.
To register for “Fundamentals of Working with the Government,” click here: http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/ConferenceDetail.action?ID=6844
To register for “Preparing Successful Bids and Proposals,” click here: http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/ConferenceDetail.action?ID=6849
PLEASE PRE-REGISTER because we will be serving a light lunch and we need to have an accurate count in advance of these classes. Both classes and the lunch are absolutely free.
If you need help with registration, please call Bridget Bennett, our Albany office coordinator, at (229) 317-4707.
Don’t miss this: Small business orientations and speed partnering to be held July 20th
July 8, 2011 by ei2admin
To acquaint Albany-area businesses with both Dougherty County’s and the City of Albany’s small business programs, Georgia Tech is holding orientation sessions on July 20, 2011. An explanation will be provided of the local government programs, the benefits of participating, and how to enroll.
The orientations will be followed by instruction on how to market to local governments and present their capabilities Dougherty County and Albany officials.
In addition, City and County officials will be on hand to share information about contracting opportunities and meet with area businesses.
Check-in and coffee begins at 9:30 am; the program begins at 10:00. Informal networking opportunities begin at noon with a light lunch.
If you want to attend, PLEASE PRE-REGISTER! Simply click here to fill-out a simple registration form. You will receive an email confirmation.
Updated government contracting training calendar now available
May 11, 2011 by ei2admin
Want to see the current list of free classes now being offered by Georgia Tech is support of the City of Albany’s Small Business Program?
The class list has just been updated, and it’s available for viewing, and printing, by simply clicking here.
When you take a look at the updated training calendar, you’ll see we are offering classes on all of the following topics:
- Albany Small Business Program Orientation
- Business Planning, Development and Management
- Preparing Successful Bids and Proposals
- Business Development in the Government Market
- Introduction to Government Contracting
- Contract Accounting
- Contract Law
- Subcontracting to Prime Contractors
- Selling to the Military
- Fundamentals of Working with the Government
- Surety Bonding
- How to Work with Small Business Specialists
- How to Use the GTPAC Bid Match Service
- Understanding the GSA Schedule Process
What a “treasure trove” of useful information! Register now for the classes of your choice!
A “Must Do” on Tuesday, Apr. 26th!
April 22, 2011 by ei2admin
We have a special treat just for you!
On Tuesday, Apr. 26th we are conducting a class just for registered clients!
From 1:00 ’til 3:00 pm, we’re going to be showing you exactly how our bid match service works and how you can “tweak” it to make it more effective in identifying government contract opportunities for you.
Guest speaker Tom Larkin will show you how to use the GTPAC bid match service to identify government bid opportunities that are relevant to your business interests. You will learn how to identify the correct NAICS codes, PSC/FSC codes, as well as keywords for your Search Profile. We will demonstrate how to effectively use the powerful ”iSearch” tool to validate keywords, obtain and collect marketing data, as well as how to identify what the agency “calls” what you sell. Real-time examples will be utilized during this interactive class.
Don’t miss this free class! If you can’t attend, be sure to send someone as your representative.
The class will be held in the Arthur K. Williams Conference Room located in the Microbusiness Enterprise Center, 230 S. Jackson Street, Albany, Georgia 31701.
To register in advance, please visit: http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/ConferenceDetail.action?ID=7012.
We hope to see you there!
Oh, and one more thing … Come early at noon and hear Tom talk about “How to Work Effectively with Small Business Specialists.” Refreshments will be served.
What is a Capabilities Statement and why should I have one?
April 20, 2011 by ei2admin
Clients of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) often ask about how to best present themselves to government officials, particularly contracting officers and small business specialists. GTPAC Procurement Counselors — most former contracting officers themselves — consistently advise that there are four key ingredients to making a favorable impression within the government marketplace:
- Familiarizing yourself with the particular agency you are targeting,
- Being prepared to deliver a concise “elevator speech” (a 30-second description of your expertise),
- Presenting a business card which displays your CAGE, NAICS, and NIGP codes, and
- Having a “Capabilities Statement.”
While the first three ingredients are fairly straightforward, here’s what’s important to understand about creating a Capabilities Statement for your business.
A Capabilities Statement should contain particular information and be organized in a certain way for use in the government sector.
For instance, a Capabilities Statement should always identify the company’s CAGE code. The reason for this is that a company has a CAGE code only if it’s registered in Central Contractor Registration (CCR), the federal government’s vendor database. Showing your CAGE code is important because that way contracting officials know you are oriented to the government sector (if you weren’t, you wouldn’t know you have to register in CCR) and are properly registered (federal agencies can’t do business with you unless you’re listed in CCR).
Identifying your PSC/FSC and NAICS codes is important, too, because that means you know what they are and their significance. (There are such codes for every product and service, and government agencies specify their contract opportunities using these codes.)
Similarly, if you are marketing to state and local governments, you should show your NIGP codes in your capabilities statement, because state and local governments use NIGP codes (instead of PSC/FSC or NAICS codes).
Providing point-of-contact information for the references you list is important, too, in case a government official wants to make a call or send an email to one of them. Each reference should also describe the type of work you performed or the products you delivered.
Over a period of time, you’ll want to develop several different versions of your capabilities statement, each tailored to a particular government sector audience. This is just like tailoring a personal resume when applying for a particular job. You want your past work descriptions to match-up with the contracting needs of the agency to which you’re marketing. Small Business Specialists withing government agencies use this information to decide whether to refer you to contracting offices and end-users. Contracting officials use this information to make initial determinations about whether you have the wherewithal to perform.
GTPAC also recommends, in addition to a Capabilities Statement, that you create a one-page briefing sheet on your firm. It, too, should be tailored to each audience or occasion. Briefing sheets can be very helpful as handouts when you are attending trade shows, expos, pre-bid conferences, or face-to-face meetings.
If you need a sample Capabilities Statement or more guidance on this subject, contact your GTPAC Procurement Counselor for help. Remember, too, to attend GTPAC classes to obtain detailed instruction on marketing your business to the government sector.
© 2010 Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center – All Rights Reserved.
What’s an “elevator speech”? And why you need one!
April 19, 2011 by ei2admin
It takes planning to make a good first impression. And first impressions are usually made on the basis of just a few words.
Sometimes, a few words are all you have a chance to say to a decision-maker — a government contracting official, for instance.
Companies who work with the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) tell us that government officials always seem to be in a hurry and want vendors to get right to the point. Similarly, government contracting people tell GTPAC that they are weary of dealing with ill-prepared vendors who just can’t seem to succinctly state what it is they’re good at.
These circumstances constitute a few of the reasons why vendors who want to make a good first impression with the government need to have what’s called an “elevator speech.”
Simply put, an elevator speech is what you say, in 30 seconds or less, to describe your expertise.
The term “elevator speech” comes from a situation such as realizing you’re in an elevator with someone you’d like to impress … but you’ve got only a few floors to say anything before they get off the elevator.
What if you suddenly found yourself on an elevator with a contracting officer, an elected official, or some other a potential government customer? Are you ready to quickly and professionally describe the solutions you represent and the expertise you can deliver?
Here’s an outline of what a good elevator speech should address:
- Who and what you are
- What you specialize in
- What you do
- Why you’re the best at what you do
- What you want (a call to action)
- (And remember: Everything must be stated in less than 30 seconds.)
Contact your GTPAC Procurement Counselor for further assistance in formulating your elevator speech.
© 2010 Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center – All Rights Reserved.
Speed partnering event proves to be a big hit
February 23, 2011 by ei2admin
The “Speed Partnering” event held at the Albany Civic Center on Feb. 22nd proved to be very popular with the 150 vendors who attended.
The concept for the event is based on “speed dating” where couples get together for 15 minutes to see if the “chemistry” is right. In the instance of Speed Partnering, vendors are matched with buyers.
119 business people registered in advance to attend, but event organizers allowed dozens more to participate on a walk-in basis. Personnel from the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) organized and managed the event in conjunction with the City of Albany’s Small Business Procurement Program.
The big draw for the conference proved to be the buyers who came representing 11 local, state and federal government agencies, along with a half dozen resource partners.
Government agencies included the City of Albany’s purchasing office, Dougherty County, Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, the Sumter Youth Juvenile Justice office, the Georgia Dept. of Administrative Services (DOAS), the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Dept. of Corrections, the Marine Corps Logistics Command (MCLC), the Internal Revenue Service, the National Park Service, and the General Services Administration (GSA). Buyers from these agencies met one-on-one with all vendors in attendance.
Resource partners who participated in the event included Albany’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Albany State University’s College of Business, Capitol City Bank, the Albany Chamber of Commerce, and Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. These entities distributed helpful information and other resources to businesses.
The Mayor of Albany Willie Adams welcomed everyone during the event’s opening session. He was joined by Latoya Cutts, director of the City’s Community & Economic Development department. Also on hand was Presidential appointee Meredith Lilly of the General Services Administration and Patricia Hanes of the Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Dept. of Commerce.
Running concurrently with the Speed Partnering were four workshops conducted by Georgia Tech procurement counselors on topics including Business Communications, Responding to Bid Solicitations, Conducting Market Research, and the SBA’s New Woman-Owned Small Business Program.
Albany’s news media covered the event closely. Video news coverage can be viewed at at:
- Fox 31 News: http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?id=584222
- Fox 31 News Update: http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/video.aspx?id=584222
- WALB-TV News: http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=14078571 (Click on the “Businesses, Government, Contractors get together” link under the “Video Gallery” to see the video there.)
Clovia Hamilton, procurement counselor in GTPAC’s Albany office, was the principal organizer for the day.