Commerce RI's Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), in partnership with the Small Business Administration (SBA), has released its 2014 training and workshop schedule. The free sessions assist participants in navigating the complex process of offering goods and services to federal, state and local government contracting agencies.
"Commerce RI is proud to support the work of our PTAC division, which has produced outstanding results for its clients," said Commerce RI Executive Director Marcel A. Valois. "With over two events a month and an active client base exceeding 400, the group reports over $200 million in contract value annually."
The RI PTAC offers one-on-one counseling sessions, group training on a wide range of government procurement topics, networking and highly targeted matchmaking events, assistance in identifying bid opportunities, and assistance with post-award performance and compliance.
RI PTAC Program Director Dorothy Reynolds said, "The staff of the RI PTAC has extensive real-world experience from both sides of the government acquisition process – federal and state agencies as well as prime industry suppliers. As part of a network of 98 PTACs throughout the country, we have access to over 650 other procurement specialists. In Rhode Island, we partner with the SBA's district office to collaborate on training specific to the needs of small businesses and support the SBA's mission to encourage participation by small, disadvantaged, veteran, minority and woman-owned Rhode Island businesses."
"We must do all we can to help Rhode Island small businesses get their fair share of government contracts," said Mark S. Hayward, director of the SBA Rhode Island District Office. "The ongoing partnership between the SBA and the Rhode Island PTAC will help the small business community continue to receive the training and assistance they need to succeed in the government contracting arena."
All services are free and confidential to any existing company with an active presence in Rhode Island and at least two years of commercial experience.
The full 2014 Commerce RI PTAC schedule can be found on the Commerce RI website at www.commerceri.com/events.
About Rhode Island Commerce Corporation The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation is the full-service, official economic development organization for the state of Rhode Island. A quasi-public agency, the corporation serves as a government and community resource to help streamline the business expansion in, and relocation to, Rhode Island. The agency assists companies with commercial real estate, business financing, workforce training and other relevant issues. www.commerceri.com
About Rhode Island Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) The RI PTAC is sponsored and funded by the Defense Logistics Agency through a cooperative agreement with Commerce RI. Its mission is to maximize the number of Rhode Island companies winning government contracts by helping these businesses sell their products into the local, state and federal government marketplace. For more information on the RI PTAC services, visit www.riptac.org.