| The PTAC is a business and technology extension program of the UNC System. Our purpose is to generate employment and improve the general economic condition of the state by assisting North Carolina companies, including those eligible for business development programs for local, state and federal government contracts. We provide procurement technical assistance by offering no-fee and confidential counseling on selling your products and/or services to the appropriate local, state or federal government agency. |
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PTAC Program Director
919.600.6096
PTAC Counselor
Elizabeth City / Greenville
252.737.1369
PTAC Counselor
Asheville / Cullowhee
828.251.6025
PTAC Counselor
Raleigh / Chapel Hill / Durham
919.513.0623
PTAC Counselor
Fayetteville / Pembroke
910.672.1359
PTAC Counselor/Events Coordinator
Hickory / Boone
828.322.5379
JACQUIE SPEARMAN
PTAC Counselor
Charlotte
704.687.0443
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Aug 6, 2019
Fayetteville, NC
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Aug 7, 2019
Greenville, NC
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ACCELERATE: A BLOG FOR CEOs OF MID-SIZED FIRMS
SBTDC's Strategy and Growth Services blog,
Accelerate, helps CEOs of mid-sized companies make business and leadership improvements through helpful insight, resources, and tools.
Learn more »
TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION SERVICES
The SBTDC's Technology Commercialization Services team provides business counseling to small to mid-sized business owners, university researchers, and entrepreneurs looking to advance their innovations to the marketplace.
Learn more »
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The SBTDC's International Business Development Specialists assists small and mid-sized businesses with export planning and exporting.
Learn more »
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Director's Corner:
Great training opportunities in August!
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By Mark G. Mills, PTAC Program Director at North Carolina State University
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Here are a few training opportunities in August, please visit our events page on the website to identify additional training.
"Disaster Recovery Contracting Summit 2019"
Prepare your business for disaster procurement opportunities
August 7
, 2019 - 8:30am - 5:00pm
SBTDC at East Carolina University
Willis Building - 300 East First Street, Greenville, NC 27858
"Capture Management Workshops"
August 14
- 9:00am - 11:00am
Western Carolina University at Biltmore Park, Room 336
28 Schenck Parkway, Asheville NC 28803
August 21
- 1:00pm - 3:00pm
East Carolina University, Willis Bldg.
300 East 1st Street, Greenville NC 27858
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8(a) Business Development Program
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| By Mark G. Mills, PTAC Program Director at North Carolina State University |
There are 8 categories under subpart A:
- Provisions of General Applicability
- Eligibility Requirements for Participation in the 8(a) Business Development Program
- Applying to the 8(a) BD Program
- Exiting the 8(a) BD Program
- Business Development
- Contractual Assistance
- Miscellaneous Reporting Requirements
- Management and Technical Assistance Program
Subpart B-Eligibility, Certification, and Protests Relating to Federal Small Disadvantaged Business Programs
The North Carolina SBA has a great opportunity for businesses interested in the 8(a) Program. You can join the SBA team for a special 8(a) recruitment summit in Charlotte to learn how 8(a) can benefit your firm in the federal contracting arena.
Thursday, August 15
, 2019 - 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location:
Morrison Regional Library
7015 Morrison Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28211
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New Product and Service Code Manual Released
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Forwarded from the APTAC Newsletter July 22, 2019
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A revised Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual has been released
https://www.acquisition.gov/PSC_Manual! The PSC Manual provides codes that describe products, services, and research and development (R&D) purchased by the federal government. Importantly, these codes indicate "WHAT" was bought for each contract action reported in the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). Effective in late June 2019, the following PSC changes were added to the PSC Manual:
PSC Title Changed: D305 - IT and Telecom - Teleprocessing, Timeshare, Cloud Computing, and High Performance Computing New PSC added: R616 - Physical Records Management Services
New PSC added: R617 - Electronic Records Management Services Make sure you and your clients are using the most recent version of PSC codes. For questions, please reach out to
[email protected].
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By Scott Barker, PTAC Counselor at East Carolina University
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At the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) conference in March of this year, Brigadier General Mike Hoskin, the Army Corps of Engineers Director of Contracting gave an update on the discussions from the 809 Advisory Panel and some of its recommendations that were made. The intent of the panel was to help the U.S. Defense Department streamline acquisition and procurement practices to better keep pace with the abilities of U.S. adversaries throughout the world. The resulting recommendations are intended to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the defense acquisition process in a way that maintains the technological advantage that the U.S. currently enjoys.
The term Section 809 Panel comes from the section of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that established the panel; BG Hoskin was a member of the panel.
The panel reviewed existing policies listed in both the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation (DFAR) and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to identify areas where potential improvement can be achieved.
A summary of the some of the 98 recommendations made are listed here:
- Streamline the process for acquiring commercial products and services; consolidate conflicting and confusing guidance in the FAR that addresses the acquisition of commercial products; emphasize the new guidance to all contracting officers to increase its usage
- Do away with small business set-asides and offer small businesses a 5% price consideration
- Accelerate payments to small businesses to achieve 15 days from receipt of proper invoice
- Move the VA Center for Verification and Education screeners reviewing Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) applications under the SBA veteran screening process
- The three-volume 809 Panel report can be read at: https://section809panel.org
Some of the recommendations appear simple to implement while others are much more complex and will require a significant amount of time and effort to change. Regardless of whether all or some of the recommendations are accepted or implemented, the U.S. procurement community realizes the need to simplify the acquisition process in order to keep our strategic advantage that we have enjoyed for the past several decades. If we don't start to better streamline the way the federal government purchases products and services, we are in jeopardy of losing ground to adversaries.
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PTAC Client Success Story
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By Scott Barker, PTAC counselor at East Carolina University
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Thomas Slocum of Slocum & Associates relocated to Greenville in early 2019 and sought PTAC counseling almost immediately. Thomas is a service-disabled veteran who performs electrical inspections and some installations. Prior to arriving in Greenville, the client attended a Disabled Veteran Entrepreneur Bootcamp in Philadelphia and became aware of the Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) designation. Since then, he was able to acquire his certification and has been focusing almost entirely on VA SDVOSB set-aside opportunities.
The PTAC office has been able to assist the client with identifying opportunities in his NAICS codes that are set to expire well off into the future - prior to these solicitations appearing in FBO.
Since Thomas has become a PTAC client, he has submitted proposals for five separate VA SDVOSB set-aside solicitations and has won three of these worth a total $499,990 and is working on proposals for a few other solicitations.
Additionally, the Greenville PTAC office has another client that had expressed an interest in pursuing a teaming arrangement with a small business; Slocum & Associates came to mind as a potential candidate. After acquiring permission from each of these clients, contact information was shared, and both are in the process of discussing teaming arrangements that will likely result in additional contract awards that will benefit each company.
Thomas Slocum of Slocum & Associates has done well after re-locating to Greenville and is expected to continue to win contracts whether on his own or as part of a teaming arrangement with another PTAC client. The Greenville PTAC office will continue to assist Mr. Slocum with his efforts to win awards in the future.
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