GTPAC - Enterprise Innovation Institute

Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center enters 33rd year of continuous service to Georgia businesses

Program helped Georgia-based firms win more than $14.1 billion in government contracts since 1986.

Department of Defense GTPAC — The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) regularly hosts events that bring together government buyers with Georgia-based businesses. On Jan. 14, 2019, GTPAC hosted a Defense Innovation Conference attended by 220 businesses, Defense Department officials, and major prime contractors.

February marks an important milestone for the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) as it enters its 33^rdyear of continuous operation in providing assistance to Georgia businesses that are pursuing government contracts.

Specifically, GTPAC helps businesses identify, compete for, and win contracts at all levels of government – federal, state, and local.

GTPAC is one of about a dozen programs – known as Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) – that were established shortly after Congress launched the initiative in 1985. Today, there are 95 PTACs across the nation that serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

GTPAC’s continued operation is made possible through funds provided by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) along with state funding made available through Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²).

GTPAC received a fully executed award document from the DLA on Jan. 24, 2019, ensuring that funding would be made available to the Georgia Institute of Technology for another year of PTAC operations in the state of Georgia.

GTPAC maintains staff in Albany, Atlanta, Gainesville, Carrollton, Savannah, and Warner Robins. Training also is conducted in Athens and Columbus as well as via online webinars. All businesses in Georgia are eligible to receive GTPAC’s services at no cost. The program provides Georgia businesses with counseling, training, and a complete set of electronic tools to research and identify government contracting opportunities.

“We are grateful for the confidence DLA places in us to carry out this program in Georgia,” says Program Manager Andrew Smith, “and we are very thankful for the support that Georgia Tech provides to the program.”

Since its inception in 1986, GTPAC has helped Georgia businesses win more than 100,000 contracts — both prime and subcontracts — worth more than $14.1 billion.

While tabulations for calendar year 2018 are not yet complete, preliminary reports show that GTPAC’s clients won at least 3,400 government prime contracts and subcontracts worth more than $1 billion.

GTPAC is widely recognized as a PTAC with one of the strongest track records in the nation. Over the last decade, GTPAC helped Georgia businesses win between $500 million and $1 billion in government contracts, annually.

GTPAC counseled, instructed, and identified bid opportunities for 2,300 businesses across the state of Georgia in 2018. GTPAC also conducted 150 training workshops and participated in 31 events statewide where more than 3,000 businessmen and women received instruction on how to effectively compete for government contracts.

Among those clients is Glenn Singfield, a principal of Albany, Georgia-based Artesian Construction.

“GTPAC’s team consistently keeps us informed about what’s going on in the government marketplace,” Singfield said. “Through the program, we connected with another small business that we were able to partner with and, as a result, we’ve won several government contracts.”

Other clients, such as Michelle Thompson, group purchasing administrator for United Pharmacy Partners in Suwanee, Georgia, added GTPAC also helps by educating them on how to successfully get those contracts and connecting them with the resources to do so.

“I reach out at least once a month with a government contracting-related question,” Thompson said. “The GTPAC team always comes through with the answer or resources to find the answer.”

About Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC)

The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) helps Georgia enterprises identify, compete for, and win government contracts. Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, GTPAC’s services are available at no cost to any Georgia businesses that have an interest and potential to perform work — as a prime contractor or a subcontractor — for federal, state, or local government agencies. GTPAC is a program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, the Georgia Institute of Technology’s economic development arm. To learn more, visit gtpac.org.

GTPAC cybersecurity initiative wins ‘Outstanding Project’ Award

GTPAC received the Outstanding Project Award at APTAC’s annual training conference on Mar. 7, 2018.

A Georgia Tech-produced free instructional video that provides step-by-step guidance to government contractors seeking compliance with Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity requirements received the Outstanding Project Award from the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC).

The award, given annually, recognizes an accomplishment that stands out from the day-to-day activities that all PTACs organize and undertake.

The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC), which produced the 20-minute video and related template for contractors’ use, accepted the award on March 7, 2018 at APTAC’s spring conference in Jacksonville, Fla. APTAC represents 98 procurement technical assistance centers across the United States and the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.

GTPAC is an economic development program of Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²). It helps Georgia enterprises identify, compete for, and win government contracts. Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, GTPAC’s services are available at no cost to any Georgia businesses that have an interest and potential to perform work — as a prime contractor or a subcontractor — for federal, state, or local government agencies.

The video is accessible at this link: gtpac.org/cybersecurity-training-video. Its accompanying resources include a cybersecurity template for contractors’ use.

The video and template were funded through a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency, and created with the support of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The content of the video presentation does not necessarily reflect the official views of, or imply endorsement by, the DoD, the Defense Logistics Agency, or Georgia Tech.

Members of the GTPAC team proudly show off the national award.

Both PTACs, which counsel businesses, and businesses themselves have heralded the video and template as valuable one-stop resources for existing contractors and aspiring DoD contractors alike. Since the 2017 launch of these training tools, 1,284 persons have viewed the video and downloaded the template 1,508 times.

Specifically, the video explains Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clause 252.204-7012, including its key definitions and cyber obligations, including its primary requirement that defense contractors which process, store or transmit “covered defense information” must address 110 individual cybersecurity controls outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171.

The 20-minute-video not only provides information on these requirements, but also provides specific guidance on how government contractors can achieve compliance with the DFARS clause and the NIST standards. The video guides government contractors on how they can perform a “self-assessment” of their information system using NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Cybersecurity Self-Assessment Handbook.

One of the most creative and innovative aspects of the project is the 127-page cybersecurity template GTPAC created in conjunction with the video. The template provides step-by-step instructions on how government contractors can create a “Systems Security Plan” and “Plan of Action” — documentation necessary to achieve compliance.

“The resources we created come just as the DoD’s recent warning that it plans to request and evaluate cybersecurity plans from businesses as a part of the contract award decision-making process,” said GTPAC program manager Joe Beaulieu. “By providing the video and cybersecurity template, GTPAC’s objective is to make the process of achieving compliance much easier, especially for small defense contractors who may not have the resources necessary to develop such plans from scratch.”

The template makes the process of drafting the required documentation easier, as contractors merely have to fill in the blanks and answer specific questions, rather than work from a blank slate. While it is ultimately up to the contractor to meet the requirements and to fill in the blanks, GTPAC’s video and template provide contractors with an excellent starting point for assessing, achieving and documenting compliance.

In honoring GTPAC with the Outstanding Project Award, APTAC encouraged other PTACs to make use of the video, template, and resource materials. NIST recently provided similar encouragement to its nationwide MEP network — including the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) — in their work with U.S. manufacturers.

GTPAC coordinated the creation of the cybersecurity materials with GaMEP, which is a sister economic development program offered through Tech’s EI².

Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center’s new instructional video and template help defense contractors comply with cybersecurity guidelines

Changes in U.S. Department of Defense cybersecurity regulations prompt creation of multimedia training package for nationwide use.

cybercriminal at a computer terminal — To meet the government’s cybersecurity standards, contractors must assess their information systems, develop a security plan, and create an action plan.

The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) has produced and released an instructional video designed to help contractors comply with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity requirements.

GTPAC, which works with Georgia businesses to help them identify, compete for, and win government contracts, is a program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²), Georgia Tech’s economic development arm. The video will serve as an instructional tool for procurement technical assistance centers (PTACS) across the country. GTPAC is scheduling a series of briefings for its clients statewide and is sharing the complete training package with all PTACs nationwide.

Accompanying the video is a 127-page template GTPAC developed for contractors to use to create a security assessment report, a system security plan, and a plan of action for those cybersecurity requirements.

Navy ships — Defense contractors have to comply with new guidelines and cybersecurity rules across different branches of the military, including the U.S. Navy.

The video and template were funded through a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency, and created with the support of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

GTPAC presented an idea for a multimedia training package to the DoD for its Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clause 252.204-7012. This clause, revised in 2016 and which the DoD is including in many of its contracts, mandates that contractors implement adequate security on all applicable contractor information systems and investigate and report on any compromises to those systems.

Specifically, the DFARS clause requires that contractors:

Isolate malicious software.
Preserve and protect all media involved in a cyber incident.
Provide DoD with access to information or equipment for purposes of forensic analysis.
Assess damage as a result of a cyber incident.
“Flow down” the clause in any subcontracts involving information covered by the requirements.

To meet the government’s cybersecurity standards, contractors must assess their information systems, develop a security plan, and create an action plan. GTPAC’s template — available for download as a Word document on the same webpage where the video appears (gtpac.org/cybersecurity-training-video) — provides a step-by-step process by which each of these tasks can be completed and documentation can be compiled.

“Understanding and incorporating these cybersecurity regulations are critical for DoD contractors. That’s especially so for small businesses, both primary contractors and subcontractors,” said Joe Beaulieu, GTPAC’s program manager.

“While numerous briefings have been held in recent months about the requirements, there had not been a comprehensive briefing package to help contractors understand the new regulations,” he noted. “Our multimedia training package for GTPAC and procurement assistance center clients across the country comprehensively addresses the requirements and presents a practical, solutions-based approach to the challenge to small businesses that the requirements represent.”

Georgia contractors seeking assistance in complying with DoD’s cybersecurity requirements are encouraged to contact a GTPAC procurement counselor. A list of counselors, their locations, and contact information can be found at gtpac.org/team-directory.

Companies located outside of Georgia may contact their nearest procurement technical assistance center for assistance. PTACs are located in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. For a directory of PTACs, please visit aptac-us.org/find-a-ptac.

About Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC):

The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center, an economic development program of Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²), helps Georgia enterprises identify, compete for, and win government contracts. Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, GTPAC’s services are available at no cost to any Georgia businesses that have an interest and potential to perform work — as a prime contractor or a subcontractor — for federal, state, or local government agencies. In a recent 12-month period, GTPAC helped more than 2,200 clients create or save 19,000 jobs and win more than 5,500 government contracts worth $1.9 billion. To learn more, visit gtpac.org.

Gov. Deal announces launch of Georgia Defense Exchange

Gov. Nathan Deal announced the launch of the Georgia Defense Exchange (GDX), an interactive business development platform designed to assist Georgia businesses in finding new opportunities in Department of Defense (DOD) contracting.

“From the Bell Bomber Plant during WWII to the NSA and U.S. Army Cyber Command in Augusta today, Georgia enterprises enjoy a storied history of fulfilling contracts for national defense,” Deal said. “Last year alone, defense contracts executed in Georgia were valued at $6.4 billion. These contracts provide significant opportunities for Georgia businesses and drive new development in local communities across the state. The GDX platform will allow us to equip companies with the tools they need to be competitive in acquiring DOD contracts while ensuring that this long-standing tradition continues in Georgia.”

GDX offers Georgia’s defense contracting community a one-stop data research and collaboration platform. The platform was designed to support and engage businesses across a wide variety of industry sectors with its rich data visualizations, interactive dashboards, real-time DOD data and business-to-business communication tools. GDX will open new opportunities for both traditionally defense-related businesses and service-oriented companies with no experience in defense contracting.

Lockheed Martin, Meggitt, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman account for some of the largest defense contracts in Georgia. Additionally, more than $3 billion of Georgia’s defense contracts are related to services for facility maintenance, science and engineering, equipment and construction.

To develop GDX, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) collaborated with The Simple VUE, an Atlanta-based full-service information technology and data analytics consulting firm, and the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC), a federally funded program that helps Georgia businesses identify, compete for, and win government contracts in order to sustain and grow their businesses.

GDEcD and GTPAC began collaborating on the project in September of 2016. A unit of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²), Georgia Tech’s chief economic development arm, GTPAC provided its research data and advised on the creation of an economic development model for the aerospace and defense industries, said Chuck Schadl, EI²‘s group manager of government contracting services, which includes GTPAC and the Contracting Academy at Georgia Tech.

GTPAC staff also arranged for several Georgia defense contractors to provide focus group feedback on the GDX tool, make suggestions, and comment on its utility.

“We pride ourselves on maintaining the best business environment in the nation, and providing top-notch resources for our citizens,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “GDX levels the playing field, giving small businesses in Georgia the chance to know about and respond to the many defense contracting opportunities that are available. I am confident that all Georgia companies will benefit tremendously from GDX, and that our state will increase its competitive advantage in this sector.”

GTPAC-hosted event connect small businesses, government agencies, and prime contractors

GTPAC photo — More than that 250 small businesses participated in the recent Industry Day. Hosted by the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center, attendees connected with various government agencies and resource partners to learn more about government contracting opportunities.

More than 250 small businesses attended a recent Industry Day event in which they connected and networked with government agencies seeking to contract with vendors.

The Jan. 24, 2017 event, which was hosted by the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) and sponsored by the Atlanta chapter of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), featured presentations on various federal, state and local government agencies’ contract opportunities. It also facilitated meetings between business attendees and government agencies and resource partners.

Sharon Morrow, the Army’s Office of Small Business Programs’ mentor-protégé program manager and small business liaison for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) /Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), delivered the keynote address.

Other featured speakers included NCMA Atlanta Chapter president Christina Edwards; GTPAC program manager Joe Beaulieu; Georgia State University executive-in-residence Cassius Butts; and NCMA Atlanta small business chair and CDC small business manager Gwendolyn Miles.

Attendees learned several key business engagement protocols and other tips from several representatives of the Small Business Administration, Veterans Administration, and General Services Administration, among other agencies.

Copies of presentations which were made at the event can be downloaded here: Industry Day 2017.

More information about the overall Industry Day 2017 event may be accessed here.