Contact: Joanne Spaulding, Director
Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center
(802) 522-9135 | joanne.spaulding@vermont.gov
VT PTAC HOSTS VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE FOR PTAC DAY ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
PTACs Around the Country Celebrate the Success of their Small Business Clients
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott signed a proclamation designating September 15, 2021 as Procurement Technical Assistance Centers Day in Vermont, a collective campaign celebrating the contracting successes of the businesses who have benefitted from training and technical assistance from their local PTACs.
Joan Goldstein, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic Development, noted that for 36 years, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) have helped expand the number of small businesses that successfully compete for and win federal, state, and local government contracts. Commissioner Goldstein added, “PTACs boost economic activity by helping local businesses navigate the contracting process and help large government contractors identify qualified subcontractors and suppliers. Last year, VT PTAC served close to 600 Vermont companies resulting in over $226 million in government awards.”
Joanne Spaulding, Director of the Vermont procurement Technical Assistance Center (VT PTAC), stated that in FY20 VT PTAC provided one-on-one counseling to eligible businesses focusing on proactively searching for appropriate opportunities, aiding in market research, bid preparation and review, at no cost to them. “VT PTAC’s highly qualified counselors guided businesses through government certification programs like the System for Award Management (SAM) and socio-economic programs such as HUBZone, Woman-owned, and Veteran & Service-Disabled Veteran-owned,” said Ms. Spaulding. “They also assisted with Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) opportunities. With increasing cybersecurity requirements, counselors actively provided education and assistance to their clients with assessments and compliance as needed.”
Here’s a recent example of how VT PTAC provided a Vermont business with government contracting assistance: Sawabini & Associates LLC obtained a $79,200 contract with the U.S. Department of the Army in May 2021 to provide educational videos and classroom instruction for their employees. PTAC’s counselor, Babette Lizotte, assisted the Woman-owned Shelburne company with various parts of the contracting process, such as registration in SAM, certification as a Woman-Owned Small Business, and understanding the end-of-fiscal year Command Manpower Reporting requirements. Mary Sawabini, President, shared the following, “VT PTAC is an amazing program. Babette Lizotte is quick to respond to our inquires and she is very knowledgeable. She found the answers to our Command Power Reporting requirements. Questions that stumped our contracting officer! Thank you for all the great assistance!”
This September 15, the Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center (VT PTAC) will be celebrating National PTAC Day with social media campaigns and an interactive Virtual Open House. “You are invited to meet the PTAC team and see various ways our program can assist Vermont businesses,” said Joanne Spaulding. “We will share success stories, anecdotes, and more. Attendees are invited to express how PTAC's assistance benefited their business, to deliver a business "Quick Pitch" in 60 seconds and pose questions to the presenters.” The VT PTAC team invites you to Drop by their virtual room at any time between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. There will be ongoing presentations and opportunities for you to tell your story and talk about your business.
In celebration of National PTAC Day, Vermont businesses and organizations are invited to post on social media what they love about the VT PTAC with comments, photos, and videos. #vtptac #PTACday
Event Information:
WHEN: Wednesday, September 15, 2021
TIME: 11:00am – 1:00pm
Register: National PTAC Day – Virtual Open House
For more information and to register for an event, please visit https://vtptac.ecenterdirect.com/events or call (802) 828-5237.
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About the Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center (VT PTAC): VT PTAC provides Vermont businesses with an understanding of the requirements of government contracting to obtain and successfully perform federal, state, and local contracts through free counseling services, training, and networking opportunities. The center’s mission is to increase the percentage of federal contracts awarded to Vermont businesses with emphasis on contracts awarded to small businesses. This procurement technical assistance center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency. It is also funded by the Vermont Department of Economic Development (DED), and it operates as a program within the DED. For more information on VT PTAC please visit: http://ptac.vermont.gov.
About the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD): ACCD’s mission is to help Vermonters improve their quality of life and build strong communities. ACCD accomplishes this mission by providing grants, technical assistance, and advocacy through three divisions: The Department of Economic Development, the Department of Tourism and Marketing, and the Department of Housing and Community Development. For more information on ACCD please visit: https://accd.vermont.gov.
About the PTAP Program: The Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) was authorized by Congress in 1985 in an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in the government marketplace. Administered by the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the program provides matching funds through cooperative agreements with state and local governments and non-profit organizations to operate Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) for the purpose of providing procurement assistance to all businesses – particularly small businesses – interested in participating in the government marketplace. Learn more at http://www.aptac-us.org.
VT PTAC Program Headquarters
1 National Life Drive, 6th Floor, Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 828-5237
http://ptac.vermont.gov