Virtual Industry Day helps the Army Corps reach a nationwide audience
June 26, 2017: The Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) presented its 2017 Outstanding Project Award to the Colorado Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) for their collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a Virtual Industry Day to reach small businesses in nineteen states.
The Colorado PTAC was approached by the US Army Corps of Engineers’ 88th Regional Support Command, Huntsville Alabama to assist them in conducting a wide-area “Virtual Industry Day” for their upcoming contract solicitations. The PTAC’s role was to coordinate outreach with other PTACs throughout the nineteen-state area and facilitate broadcasting the briefings to as many other locations as possible. To accomplish this, the Colorado PTAC secured the use of the El Paso County Colorado Commissioners Hearing Room, which had the capability for real-time internet broadcast.
The Colorado PTAC reached out to other PTACs for cooperation with the event; ultimately thirty-eight (38) procurement centers participated during the broadcast, with more than 250 vendors attending. At each location, PTAC facilitators were able to accept questions or comments and text them to Colorado PTAC staff at the live event, who in turn provided the questions to the speakers. Ultimately, all questions and comments were answered by written announcement on the federal government’s official contracting website, Federal Business Opportunities (FBO.gov).
The Army Corps’ acquisition team was impressed by the participating PTACs’ willingness to help and their ability to assemble such geographically dispersed vendor communities for direct access to the briefings. The 88th Command’s Contracting Officer stated that there was no way they could have presented the briefings in person at so many locations. The event economized their travel expenses and time and provided consistent briefings to all participating regions and vendors.
APTAC’s Outstanding Project Award recognizes an accomplishment that stands out from the usual activities that all PTACs organize and undertake. The award is given to projects that benefit all APTAC members and/or serve as a model for other PTACs to emulate. The Colorado PTAC’s innovative use of local resources and their leadership in coordinating this broad collaboration among PTACs represents just such a project.
APTAC is the professional organization of and for the 98 Procurement Technical Assistance Centers awarded under the Department of Defense’s Procurement Technical Assistance Program. APTAC supports the PTACs by providing them important information, professional networking, comprehensive training opportunities and a voice in national government contracting assistance and policy arenas.
The Colorado PTAC was established to generate employment and improve the general economic condition of the state by assisting Colorado companies—including those eligible for preferential consideration—in obtaining and performing under local, state and federal government contracts. The core of their procurement assistance program is counseling and education, and they provide confidential procurement counseling at no cost.
For help with Government Contracting: contact your nearest Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Funded through Cooperative Agreements between the U.S. Department of Defense and state and local governments/institutions, PTACs provide free and low-cost assistance in virtually all areas of government contracting.