PENSACOLA, FLA. – The Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is changing its name to the Florida APEX Accelerator, but its mission to help businesses research and bid on federal, state and local government contracts remains the same.

The name change coincides with the program’s transition nationally from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Logistics Agency to the DoD Office of Small Business Programs. 

“Small businesses are critical to our economy and play a central role in bolstering our nation’s defense,” said Jane Dowgwillo, interim program manager of the Florida APEX Accelerator. “Government contracting, however, can be complex and small business participation in the defense industrial base has declined over the past decade. This shift is aimed at reducing barriers and equipping businesses with greater resources to be capable of competing in the federal, state and local government marketplace.”

Under the oversight of the DoD, APEX Accelerators nationally will focus on accelerating innovation, fostering ingenuity, and establishing resilient and diverse supply chains in the government marketplace. 

Although the program’s name is changing, its mission remains the same. The Florida APEX Accelerator helps Florida-based businesses compete for and win federal, state, and local government contracts. Through the program, the Florida APEX Accelerator matches businesses with contract opportunities, helps them prepare bids and navigate requirements, and assists them after winning contracts. 

Consultants also help businesses apply for certifications that may help them get an edge when competing for contracts, including minority-owned, veteran-owned, woman-owned, or HUBZone small businesses. These services are provided at no-cost to businesses.

In addition to these services, the program will expand to provide training and awareness on cybersecurity, risks of foreign ownership, control and influence, intellectual property protection, and assistance with government-led innovation programs. 

More than 90 PTACs around the country – including the Florida APEX Accelerator – will change to the new name. 

The Florida APEX Accelerator program plays an important role in the state. The U.S. government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, and every year, contracts are available to businesses at the local, state, and federal level.

Last year, the Florida APEX Accelerator program served 1,387 new clients, resulting in 25,919 jobs supported and helping businesses secure $246 million in government contracts. 

The announcement coincides with National APEX Accelerators Day. Held today, October 12, 2023, National APEX Accelerators Day celebrates the success of tens of thousands of small businesses that have leveraged APEX Accelerators’ training and technical assistance to successfully compete for and win federal, state, and local government contracts. This is the first national event for APEX Accelerators since rebranding from PTAC.

For more information, and to find a government contracting consultant in your area, please visit www.FLAPEX.org. 

When working with Florida businesses, the government contracting experts at the Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) are often asked about how to connect with government decision makers in securing contracts at the federal, state, and local level. 

While there are many commonalities between government contracting and doing business commercially, such as needing a website, business cards, and to market your business, there are certain nuances unique to government contracting, including needing a capabilities statement. 

A capabilities statement is very similar to a resume. It communicates the capabilities of your business and highlights why a government agency should buy from you. It includes: 

• Your contact information
• Your previous experience and where you’ve sold before
• A description of your business and capabilities
• Customer testimonials or kudos you’ve received for past performance 

Additionally, it includes information unique to government contracting, including your discriminators, your business codes, and your certifications. 

Discriminators are what make your business stand apart—whether your product or service is more economical, better quality, etc. Your capabilities statement also includes your business codes. These are unique identifiers that communicate what product or service your company offers. The State of Florida uses United Nations Standard Products and Services Codes (UNSPSC), an eight-digital code that breaks down into four levels of hierarchy: segment, family, class, and commodity. Lastly, there are preferred small business certifications for certain socio-economic groups that can provide you with more opportunities to win contracts, including if your business is minority-, women-, or veteran-owned. 

Part of a national network, the Florida PTAC offers a team of procurement specialists, many of whom are former government decision makers and government contractors, who provide technical assistance and advice—at no-cost. As part of our service offering, we can help your company determine what certifications are available to you, identify the proper codes, secure small business certifications, and develop your capability statement. Best of all, we’re a no-cost service to you. 

Additionally, PTACs offer dozens of workshops throughout the year. The Florida PTAC at the University of North Florida will host a no-cost, virtual webinar on developing a capability statement Thursday, October 21 at 1:00 p.m. EST. To register, please click here.To learn more, and to schedule an appointment with a Florida PTAC near you, please visit www.fptac.org.

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on many businesses, the government is still spending money. History has shown us that in times of recession, the Federal government spends even more money than usual in hopes of reviving the economy. Take the so-called “Great Recession” of 2008, for example. In response, the government passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, an $800 billion stimulus package designed to save jobs and boost the economy. Some federal contractors did not only survive “The Great Recession” but had their best years ever. Unfortunately, many businesses on the outside of the Federal market struggled to stay afloat.

On March 27th, 2020, the Feds passed the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the Cares Act, thus providing an unprecedented $2.2 trillion in stimulus funding with more in the works. Much of the news regarding this stimulus funding has been around SBA loans and direct payments to individuals, which is not surprising since it affects the larger part of the population. But what the news media have been relatively quiet about are the provisions in the Act to keep the government contracting base stable (check out the recommended readings below for details). Have you heard the recent talks about an infrastructure spending bill to further boost the economy? If you have anything to do with construction – you are in luck. Opportunities may be knocking on your door sooner than you think, of course assuming you’ve already positioned yourself as a reliable and trustworthy contractor.

So, what does this mean for you?

The Federal marketplace is not a lifeboat – you don’t reach for it when your business is about to go down. You have to get your foot in the door in good times so it will be there for you when things get bad. And they will. Recession is a natural economic phenomenon that has many triggers, so the question is not “IF” it’s coming but ‘WHEN.”

If you’ve been enjoying success in the commercial sector – that’s great. But you’re leaving yourself exposed to the harmful effects of a recession. The demand in the commercial sector depends mainly on consumer spending, which tends to dry up in bad economic times. To protect your business, you should diversify your revenue streams, and what’s a better way to do it than federal contracting? The demand in the Federal marketplace depends entirely on federal spending, which tends to spike when the economy tanks.

Yes, federal contracting is not a piece of cake. It can be complicated and even frustrating at times. But there are people who can help you figure it out and become successful at winning government contracts. Reach out to your Florida PTAC and schedule a counseling session, if you have not done this in a while. It’s your choice, are you going to be a player or a spectator?

On November 12th, 2019, FBO.Gov was retired, and beta.SAM.Gov is the new authoritative source for Contract Opportunities. For the most part, the transition appears to have gone smoothly, according to GSA (click here to listen to a recent interview with a GSA senior executive on the Federal News Network about the current status of “Contract Opportunities” at BETA.SAM.GOV). There are additional resources posted at the beta.SAM.Gov website to provide information and training for contractors. For your convenience, we have listed direct links to some of these resources below.

• Transition fact sheet
• Contractor Quick Start Guide
• Click here to watch the instructional video for non-federal users (contractors)

We will post additional information, tips, and future updates about the new Contract Opportunities website – so, stay tuned!

If you have ideas or suggestions for improvement,  please use the “provide feedback” button on the beta.SAM.gov website.

If you would like to find small business events and vendor collaboration opportunities, look for these specific links toward the top of the page when you visit the Contracting Opportunities page on the beta.SAM.Gov website. If you are logged in, you can save these searches after clicking on the applicable links to quickly access these opportunities in the future.

If you enjoy listening to podcasts on the way to work, check out www.govconpodcasts.com. This is a relatively new website that features a collection of some of the nation’s top podcasts and information from top experts in government contracting. A great way to learn on the go!

In November, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will launch the tenth round of its SBIR/STTR Phase 0 Assistance Program to coincide with the November 12, 2019 announcement of the FY2020 Phase I Release 2 SBIR/STTR Topics. The program is aimed at helping eligible small R&D businesses and individuals successfully apply for SBIR/STTR federal funding from the DOE. Since the program is entirely funded by the DOE, these services are AT NO COST TO PARTICIPANTS. The goal of this program is to increase the number of responsive, high-quality Phase I proposals submitted to the DOE from all first-time DOE SBIR/STTR applicants.

Companies and researchers planning to form a company may apply for services directly by completing a simple online form available at www.dawnbreaker.com/doephase0/apply.php. Registration for this round of the DOE Phase 0 Assistance program will begin November 12, 2019. Applicants will subsequently be contacted by a representative of the DOE Phase 0 Assistance Program to affirm that they meet the additional criteria specified by the DOE.

With the upcoming DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to be released on December 16, 2019 we anticipate providing services to 100 or more Phase 0 participants. Potential applicants are encouraged to find out more about the DOE Phase 0 Assistance Program at www.dawnbreaker.com/doephase0. Recognizing that multiple states already offer some level of assistance to their SBIR/STTR applicants, the DOE Phase 0 Assistance Program is designed to complement services already offered by existing professional organizations, SBDCs, universities, incubators, and other state organizations. The services offered by the DOE SBIR/STTR Phase 0 Assistance Program are also available to eligible, qualified individuals who commit to form a company should they win a DOE SBIR/ STTR Phase I award.

Eligible parties may receive one or more specialized services following an initial assessment by a member of the Dawnbreaker team. The services include:

1. Letter of Intent (LOI) review;
2. Phase I proposal preparation, review and registration assistance;
3. Market research assistance;
4. Technology advice and consultation;
5. Intellectual property consultation;
6. Indirect rates and financials;
7. Travel assistance.

As part of this initiative, Online Tutorials covering all aspects of the DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I application process are available at https://science.osti.gov/SBIRLearning. The Online Tutorials will provide training on application preparation for individuals interested in preparing a DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I proposal and will be available nationally at no charge to everyone.

For more information on the DOE Phase 0 initiative, please visit: www.dawnbreaker.com/doephase0

In October 2019, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will institute a single process for accessing technical data within its Collaboration Folders (cFolders) that is subject to export-control under either the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). DLA will limit distribution of the export-controlled technical data to DLA suppliers that have an approved US/Canada Joint Certification Program (JCP) certification; completed the “Introduction to Proper Handling of DOD Export Controlled Technical Data Training”; the DLA “Export-Controlled Technical Data Questionnaire”; and have been approved by the DLA controlling authority to access the export-controlled data.

Instructions for obtaining access to DLA export-controlled data can be found at: https://www.dla.mil/HQ/LogisticsOperations/EnhancedValidation/.

There are many great people supporting businesses in the government marketplace – from for-profits and non-profits to universities and government agencies. Unfortunately, there are also as many scam artists and snake oil salesmen lurking in the shadows. They want to sell you the magic pill to success but at the end of the day, take your money and leave you frustrated with the results. Here are some tips to help you save money and keep your peace of mind.

1. Before you spend your money on services, check with your PTAC consultant. We may have just what you need or will point you in the right direction.
2. If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. When you see or hear things like “we guarantee a contract” or “if you would like a 5-year no-bid contract with the federal government, call us,” be cautious. Snake oil salesmen are very sneaky. Even if they “get you a contract,” that doesn’t mean you will be awarded dollars under this contract if it’s not right for you. We see this happen quite often with companies that get onto a GSA schedule and make no sales.
3. Beware of scams! If you receive an email from a government agency or visit a website that looks like an official government website, look for the .gov extension in the email address or the URL. There are plenty of impersonators out there. In fact, each year when disaster strikes, scams like “Get registered with FEMA” start popping up on the Internet. This problem is so prevalent that FEMA has established a “FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline.” That number is 1-866-720-5721. Unfortunately, this is just one example of scams that can trap the unwary.

With a little caution, due diligence, and guidance from your PTAC, you can navigate around scams and snake oil salesmen to find credible resources that will help you in your journey.

by Yolanda Cowart, Florida PTAC at USF | February 22, 2019

Why do so many businesses fail to access the federal marketplace?
The spending power of the federal government makes it a very attractive market. However, operating a profitable business in the federal marketplace creates obligations, potential liabilities and risks that do not exist in the private sector.

In order to sell products and services to the government, a business owner will need to plan, prepare and evaluate the company’s potential.

There are several reasons why business owners fail to secure government contracts or fail while performing on federal government projects. In order to give a company a fighting chance, avoid these eight common mistakes:

1. Inadequate business framework: Accessing government contracts requires a blueprint for success. In order to compete successfully, a business owner will need to create a business plan for government contracting goals. A well thought out strategy forces one to think about opportunities, risks, strengths, and weaknesses.
2. Poor execution and internal controls: Government contracts require intelligent processes and procedures. Business owners must adopt safeguards that will protect not only their business, but the government from mistakes, mishaps, uninformed decisions, and inappropriate actions by any employees or team members.
3. Overexpansion: Government contracts often require business owners to beef up their operations. Taking on added overhead and operational expenses too soon can impact the ability to perform and execute contracts efficiently. Business owners should start with realistic goals and manage growth and expectations.
4. Poor capital structure: A business owner should conduct a cash flow analysis and cash flow projection in order to avoid accumulating too much debt. Government contracts will have a direct impact on a company’s cash flow cycle. It requires a capital structure that can support growth and sustain an entire operation until the government pays.
5. Lack of reserve funds: Government awards are often accompanied by unexpected cost associated with executing contracts, fulfilling orders and meeting demands. These pitfalls could be devastating for a business if the company does not have the funds to address unforeseen cost quickly. Failure to be able to address issues fast and efficiently could result in the loss of credibility with the contract administrator and ruin the potential for future awards.
6. Overspending: Many businesses blow their operational budgets before cash has begun to flow in at a positive rate. A company must ensure a government contract will be well-capitalized. Understanding cash flow by capturing expenses and resources prior to beginning a project, will ensure the contract is capitalized properly.
7. Ineffective marketing and self-promotion: It is important for a business owner to learn how to market the company’s capabilities effectively. A strong Capabilities Statement will help gain the attention of contract specialists. Inadequate marketing often occurs due to a lack of research and a misunderstanding about how the federal sector operates.
8. Underestimating the competition: There is a large possibility that many competitors may have already built relationships with government agencies, prime contractors and contract specialists. Winning a government contract doesn’t just happen; it is earned. If a business owner doesn’t take the time to learn about customers and potential partners, the competition will.

Successful government contractors have strong capital structures that include reserve funds for unforeseen cost. They also have good internal controls and intelligent processes and procedures that allow them to execute contracts efficiently. An adequate business framework will avoid overexpansion and overspending.

The federal landscape is filled with small companies that fail to secure that first contract. In order to sell your products and services to the government and successfully execute contracts, you will need to understand your competition, create a marketing plan, prepare your operations and evaluate your potential.

There are a number of local resources available, such as the professionally credentialed procurement specialists at the Florida PTACs, that can assist companies as they decide to enter the government contracting arena.

Written by Nancy Dahlberg on April 22, 2019

If you are a small business that has determined federal contracting may be right for you and you have identified some potential contracts to pursue, you need put your best foot forward to get in the door.

By now we hope you have read our two previous posts about whether federal contracting is right for your business and on researching contracting opportunities.  If it is time to get your foot in the door, many of these tips will also be helpful if you are going after state or local government contracting opportunities also.

Each federal agency has a small business office (OSDBU) to ensure agencies fools small business rules and regulations – they are not buyers but should be your first stop at an agency. Brian Van Hook, associate director of the Florida SBDC at FIU, the small business development center within FIU’s College of Business, recommends already having completed your SAM registration and having three opportunities in hand as well as your financial plan. Ask the OSDBU for an email introduction to the Contracting Officer. Ask the Contracting Officer for a capability briefing and schedule monthly marketing outreaches. Program Managers also have agency knowledge and may be able to offer value to the solution you are offering to the agency.

Be proactive in marketing your products or services, says Luis Batista, a Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center consultant who specializes in government contracting. While your ability to respond to opportunities will depend on what opportunities are available via solicitations, Batista says “proactively” marketing your products or services to Contracting Officers (where appropriate), user departments, Primes and other government contractors will be critical to your success.

One example of this would be to reach out to vendors being awarded large contracts in your area of work for subcontracting opportunities, Batista said. Another example might be to reach out to large Primes within your area of work, which you can identify via USASpending.gov.

“The takeaway here is that while you are not responding to solicitations you should be networking,” says Batista.

And about putting your best foot forward?

• Make a good first impression. Be professional (including using an email address affiliated with your website – no yahoo or Gmail accounts) and triple check for typos.
• Make sure your company website is updated and typo-free.
• Know your company’s sweet spot and lead with you and your company’s expertise and experience. Emphasize your ability to mitigate risk and overcome obstacles.

And as a quick review, Althea Harris, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s assistant district director for Marketing and Outreach Area 1 (Miami), adds this advice as you are developing your contracting strategy and considering opportunties:

Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) can provide no-cost assistance to small businesses looking to compete for government contracts, including through its BidMatch program. You can locate the PTAC closest to you at the Association for Procurement Technical Assistance Centers Website: http://www.aptac-us.org/contracting-assistance