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2003 Procurement Highlights
By Joseph J. Williams, Jr.
Government Marketing Specialist
Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)
The Cattaraugus County Procurement Technical Assistance Program helps businesses in Cattaraugus, Allegany, Chautauqua and Wyoming Counties obtain federal, state and local government contracts. The PTAC offers training to businesses on how to research and bid on government solicitations and assists them in registering and using e-commerce. The services provided are free of charge.
The Center receives requests from businesses located throughout the state and because of federal funding no one is turned away. Last year marked the sixteenth year of operation. The PTAC is designed to help HUBZone, small, small disadvantaged, women-owned, veteran-owned and service disabled veteran businesses compete for their share of government contracts.
The United States Department of Defense awards a Cooperative Agreement Award to Cattaraugus County Department of Economic Development, Planning & Tourism for $68,520.00. The funding is awarded on a competitive basis annually.
In 2003 the PTAC assisted the Cattaraugus Business Development Center by presenting the Government Marketing program to small business owners at the center’s training classes.
Government Marketing Newsbriefs and Marketing Information
Published a monthly newsletter (Government Marketing Newsbriefs) that was distributed to over three hundred clients and government officials each month. In an effort to control costs, the newsletter is e-mailed to clients and is also available from the Government Marketing web page on the county web site.
Over four hundred government marketing information packets were distributed to area small businesses. The PTAC’s main page on the web site has received over 2500 hits in 2003.
PTAC Consultations, Clients, and Contracts
The Center processed over eighty initial and over one hundred fifty follow-up consultations with small business concerns from the area. The PTAC currently has over two hundred and ninety active clients that are using the center’s resources.
The bid-matching program, daily solicitations sent to businesses via mail or e-mail, had over one hundred seventy businesses participating. The monthly average of solicitations sent to business concerns was over 48,000.
The PTAC database contains over twelve hundred contacts.
2003 proved to be a banner year for the PTAC. Clients were awarded over $23,000,000 in contracts. Cattaraugus county businesses received almost $12,000,000 in federal, state or local contracts. There were four hundred forty six contracts awarded with Cattaraugus County businesses getting one hundred forty seven.
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Photo Credit: Dept. of Economic Development, Planning & Tourism
Pictured from left to right: Jerry Burrell, Chairman Development & Agriculture Committee, Ralph Vinciguerra, Assistant Director for Small Business DCMA, Gerald Fitzpatrick, Chairman Cattaraugus County Legislature.
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According to the Department of Defense, the PTAC is credited with creating or keeping over six hundred and fifty jobs in the area it serves.
Helped build awareness and assisted businesses with registering on several Federal web sites including PRO-Net, CCR and GSA.
Worked with the Tourism Specialist in creating the county tourism maps using GIS (Geographical Information System). The maps created are: County tourism map, locator map of the County, TPA region map.
Assisted department personnel with GIS and computer-related issues and training
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