COLORADO PROCUREMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER

“COLORADO PTAC”

September 17, 2009

Ric Denton, Interim Program Manager Denton.Ric@gmail.com

A vital resource for businesses in government contracting

Presentation to: Colorado Springs Chapter of NCMA

Launch of statewide Colorado PTAC

Mission Short history of PTAC creation Funding PTAC Board, Governance Structure, and Staff Services offered (what a company needs to

know to compete for and perform on federal, state, and local contracts)

How do we measure success? Working with other organizations locally and

throughout the state

PTAC Mission – top level

Significantly increase the number of capable businesses participating in government contracting by: providing them an understanding of the

requirements of government contracting and of the needed marketing know-how 

supporting federal, state, and local government agencies in reaching and working with the suppliers they need,

thereby helping to create new jobs in our state.

Colorado PTAC Short History Prehistory: A previous regional PTAC was

attempted and failed (~ 2003?) Operational Plan did not fit the PTAC model

Summer 2006: New initiatives in Colorado Springs and elsewhere to start a PTAC

Summer 2007: OEDIT asserts that it wants to take charge statewide and provide seed money

November 2007: 2 page “sales” document presented to EDC Commission (State funding)

Short History (continued)

The 2007 OEDIT/EDC “deal” OEDIT is to be the Applicant for Fed money (PTAC

Program) and a “pass-through” vehicle State provides $1 million in funding over 5 years A tax exempt PTAC Corporation is to be created to

do the actual work and provide the experts Eventual Transition of Applicant to be the PTAC

Corp. April 2008: Solicitation for Cooperative Agreement

Applications (SCAA) issued Released by Defense Logistics Agency Proposal submitted ~ June 2008

Short History: The miracle

Jan 2009 DLA: “We might like to give you an award, please just answer the following ~40 questions.”

~Feb 2009: EDC Commission increases first year seed funding to $300,000 from $200,000 originally Grand challenge: Can our Chamber of Commerce

come up with $100,000 in 15 days. (They did.) Feb 2009 DLA: We just have these ~35 questions

more May 2009 DLA: We just have these ~15 questions

more (Is there a stopping rule here??) June 2009: DLA Contract Award

Nominal performance start date is September 15, 2009

Who are the private contributors? El Pomar

Foundation El Paso County City of Colorado

Springs SAIC BiggsKofford Pikes Peak Assoc.

of Realtors

5 Star Bank Colorado Lending

Source Colorado Springs

Utilities TechWise Delta Solutions Shape Technologies Chamber of

Commerce

Funding – partly hypothetical

Contribution

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

EDC Commission

300K 200K 200K 200K 100K

Private contributions

100K 200K 200K 200K 300K

In-Kind contributions

114K 114K 114K 114K 114K

Federal (DLA)

415K 415K 415K 415K 415K

Totals 929K 929K 929K 929K 929K

Can federal matching amount increase? Likely not.Security of State Dollars? Reasonably secure, but funding is year to year.Private contributions? The future is in our hands!

Governance

What does the Organization Chart mean?

Federal contract with the DLA lays out very clearly what is to be done

OEDIT has oversight and override on PTAC Corporation OEDIT has a PTAC administrator/monitor

PTAC Board has oversight as well on PTAC operations Hire & fire authority over Program Manager But mostly a marketing & fund- raising function

Program Manager carries all of the responsibility (as per the SCAA) Staff hires, full budget authority, runs all operations,

counsels half-time, helps in fund raising, etc.

PTAC Board of Directors

Expanded Board to be 11 people Board Selection Criteria

Geographic Diversity Expert Knowledge of government procurement,

the FAR, DFARS, cradle-to-grave process of business development, acquisition and management of government contracts

A few key “rainmakers” for fund-raising Currently 4 on the Board

Includes OEDIT and EDC Commission seats There will also be an Advisory Board

Geographic Diversity

I-25 Corridor is where the action is: 97% of all federal awards El Paso 37%, Jefferson 27%, Adams 15% We are committed to serving entire state

A careful balance is needed regarding geography On the Board In performing on the contract

Otherwise we will not meet the performance goals

PTAC Corporation staffing

PTAC Corporation is a tax-exempt 501c3 corporation Not state employees!

Program Manager job description is aligned with the SCAA requirements Job has been advertised and we are processing

all applicants Procurement Counselors/Specialists

Four of these, one located on the western slope Processing of candidates has only begun

One Administrative support person

Facility

DLA Proposal: The facility above the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce Chamber has made a substantial

contribution for legal fees (organizational, bylaws, 501c3 application)

Information Technology (IT) requirements We are at least 15-20 days behind schedule

– hence a “soft opening” for now

PTAC Business Model

Core services

Determining Suitability for Contracting:  Securing Necessary Registrations Socio-economic certifications Researching Procurement Histories Networking & Business Development Identifying Bid Opportunities Bid/No Bid Decision Making Teaming or Joint Venture Arrangements

Core services (cont.)

Proposal Preparation Advice and support: No, we don’t write

them! Contract Performance Issues: 

Negotiating or interfacing with an agency Project cost-accounting system advice Bonding and interim financing Developing quality control and other plans

Preparing for an audit

In-kind support

OEDIT in kind (facilities and staff) Other Facilities

Chamber conference room Technology Incubator Similarly, elsewhere in State

Consulting advice similar to what the PTAC staff will provide – but usually more senior Ray Hurtado Kenn Quick ICA in Glenwood Springs

Referrals to for fee services

Project Cost Accounting Setup Specialized legal help Specialized certifications (e.g., 8a) Proposal Writing Short term project management GSA schedules

Measuring Success

Directly from SCAA specification Number of conferences throughout the state

PTAC hosted events PTAC participating in other events

Number of clients throughout the state New (includes transfers from other states) Follow-ons

Performance measured quarterly A “correct” measure would tally up dollar awards

achieved by clients

Working with others: Outreach Program

Chambers of Commerce Statewide EDC’s Universities Prime contractors CHDA and similar organizations Small Business Development Centers

(SBDCs) SCORE Any other influencer/partner we can reach

Questions and Answers?

Any issues not covered? Any implementation issues that we

should be looking at? Any thoughts as to how to enhance the

program?

Summary

The Colorado PTAC is an important initiative for the State

An important service for those businesses wanting to do government contracting (federal, state, county & local)

The efficient rollout in Colorado in the next 12 months is extremely important to demonstrate viability and value

We are looking for any and all partner organizations that make sense for the mission