October 15, 2019

New center offers procurement and assistance to business owners

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. — If you’re interested in doing business with the government, a new unit of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development is here to help.

Illinois Procurement and Technical Assistance Center opens at SIU

The Illinois Department of Commerce and the Defense Logistics Agency recently provided funding to create the Illinois Procurement and Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at SIU’s Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center, 1740 Innovation Drive in Carbondale. The PTAC will help business owners identify opportunities to “sell” their products or professional services to various government entities, including the prison system, state universities, and agencies such as the Department of Defense.

PTAC’s goal is providing practical advice and assistance to help business owners understand and navigate the registration  process, find opportunities that are a good match for the products or services they offer, and help them finalize deals.

The services of the qualified PTAC specialists are confidential and provided for free. 

PTAC offering webinar series

An official launch event and ribbon cutting for the PTAC will be held in the future. But the staff is already hitting the ground running with a series of five webinars over the next couple of months to help business operators understand the processes involved in selling to the government.

Each of the webinars is from noon to 1:30 p.m., making it easier for business people to participate during an extended lunch hour.

The webinar schedule includes:

  • Oct. 17 – “Understanding and Complying with the Non-Manufacturer Rule.” This session offers details on the requirements for qualifying as a non-manufacturer, as well as the critical exceptions and limitations of the rule, and how to tell whether or not a non-manufacturer waiver is in effect and how to obtain a waiver.
  • Oct. 24 – “Convincing a Prime to Put You on Their Team.” Many prime contractors decide who will join their team quickly after a large contract award, so it’s important to communicate quickly and clearly about how your company can help a prime contractor win and complete a contract. This webinar offers strategies for convincing a prime contractor to put your company on their team.
  • Oct. 31 – “Marketing to Government Agencies and Prime Contractors.” Learn the best practices for marketing to government agencies to ensure they know what products and services your business offers.
  • Nov. 7 – “How to Competitively Respond to a Sources-Sought Notice.” An example-filled presentation will help maximize your understanding of the best techniques and strategies for responding to sources-sought notices in order to influence acquisition.
  • Nov. 21 – “How to Win Federal Contracts with Competitive Pricing.” This hands-on training will feature sample spreadsheets, allowing participates to create top-line proposal estimates, labor multipliers, wrap-rate calculators, indirect rate estimates and labor category billing rates.

Sign up now

The webinars are free but pre-registration is required. Sign up online at ptac.siu.edu, call 618/536-2355 or email ptac@siu.edu.

To learn more

The Office of Innovation and Economic Development provides a wide variety of services to students, faculty, staff and community members.

For more information about PTAC, contact Allison Hasler, PTAC coordinator, at ptac@siu.edu. Or, visit the website at ptac.siu.edu, call 618/536-2355 or email ptac@siu.edu.