LSO Award

Last week I attended a Matchmaker workshop at RIT, to provide opportunities for upstate NY companies to do business with government agencies and their prime contractors.  I was there representing a client for whom I provide growth planning and implementation, and a part of our strategic plan is to develop this market segment. 

There are Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) throughout the country – something like 93 of them – and there are nine in New York State.  Three serve upstate NY in Cattaraugus county, the Watertown area, and Rochester.  The rest are downstate.  These entities are joint-funded by the Department of Defense and various and sundry economic development agencies, depending on their location.  And they do a great job of educating, and providing opportunities for small businesses to enhance their revenues with business generated by the government.

This all looks good on paper.  But ask any company with less than 100 employees how easy it is to maneuver the intricacies of policies and paperwork necessary to become government contractors.  A company needs at least one person devoted full-time to the bid process.  The registration process alone is daunting. 

However, I’ve found that it’s worth the effort, and am becoming a bit of an expert in doing business with the government.  This is a customer that is the largest purchaser in the world.  It buys over 17 million different commercial items, spent $12.5 billion in contracts last year with companies in New York State, and pays its bills in 30 days. 

Here’s what has really struck me over the past year I have been engaged in this process.  It seems many companies in New York have re-invented themselves to become government suppliers as a means to stay in business.  We are truly in the midst of a war economy.  The companies which are thriving, or keeping their heads above water, due to their government contracts, or contracts with government prime contractors, are acutely aware of this fact.  Are you? 

Let me repeat, we are in the midst of a wartime economy.  The last time I said those words I was teaching 11th graders about the rapid transition as we entered WWII from a peace to a war economy.  I thought it was our first real venture into a war economy, but looking back with clearer vision, I realize that our country has always profited from war.  Just look at the industrial giants who emerged from the Civil War.

I doubt that most New Yorkers are aware that our manufacturing base has disappeared in the last handful of years, and many of the remaining companies depend on their work for the government, to keep their doors open, and to feed the families of their labor force. 

From my perspective, the other companies that are going gangbusters are high tech firms developing products or services for the medical, packaging, or communication industries, which all sell to the government also.

Like the carrot dangling in front of us, the opportunities exist, are real, and are also difficult for small businesses to actually grab a hold of.  But, with tenacity and the ability to be methodical and to network effectively, doing business with the government can reap great results. 

For more information, contact your local SBA office, which is the best first step for anyone desiring to begin this process. And happy hunting. 



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