(Washington, DC) – Government contracting is the largest employment sector in the District and accounts for about one third of all District jobs. To provide small businesses in the District of Columbia with resources to pursue government contracts, the District of Columbia Procurement Technical Assistance Center (DC-PTAC) hosted a full-day event “Pursuing Government Contracts: Understanding PTAC Resources.”
More than a 100 small business owners gathered on Thursday at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center located on St. Elizabeth’s East Campus in Southeast Washington, DC’s Ward 8 community to engage in one-on-one matchmaking sessions with government representatives, workshops, networking and panel discussions. Guest speakers and representatives from numerous government agencies, large contractors and financial institutions including the US Small Business Administration, and the US Department of Homeland Security were present.
DC-PTAC, a program of the District of Columbia Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), was re-launched in March 2013. Right from the beginning the program exceeded expectations with a very successful pilot year; building a client base of over 500 District based small businesses. Funded in part through a Federal/State cooperative agreement administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, DC-PTAC is part of a nationwide network of Procurement Technical Assistance Center programs that exist in states across the country. DSLBD is pleased to announce that the cooperative agreement with DoD has been renewed for fiscal year 2015, which ensures District based businesses will continue to benefit from DC-PTAC services, creating opportunities for small businesses to boost the local economy by creating jobs and raising revenue.
“We are excited to offer such valuable services to District small businesses,” said Robert Summers, Director of the Department of Small and Local Business Development. “The DC-PTAC is a great example of the District’s ability to leverage strategic partnerships with our Federal neighbors. Government contracting is a key sector for District-based businesses and the DC-PTAC helps ensure DC firms can navigate obstacles that hinder their success at the local, regional, and federal levels.”
In 2012 Mayor Gray released the District’s Five-Year Economic Development Strategy which included establishing the most business friendly economy in the nation and building a best-in-class global medical center. DC-PTAC has been instrumental in realizing these initiatives by assisting small businesses obtain federal contracts through targeted programs such as HUBZone and 8(a) certification and designing a process to assist small businesses in obtaining procurement contracts at hospitals and universities.
DC-PTAC services are free to DC-businesses and residents. For more information, visit dslbd.dc.gov/ptac.
About the District of Columbia Department of Small and Local Business Development
The District of Columbia Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) fosters the economic growth, development, and retention of District of Columbia based businesses, and promotes economic development throughout the District’s commercial districts. DSLBD envisions a business environment in which DC businesses are connected in real-time with local, federal, and global business opportunities; businesses navigate government quickly, confidently, and effectively; and, every entrepreneur and business with a great idea and a great plan has the capital to make it happen. For more information, go to dslbd.dc.gov or contact us at [email protected]. Follow DSLBD on Twitter at @SmallBizDC, or like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/smallbizdc.
