Small businesses benefit from combined resources

By Shannon Western, Mission and Installation Contracting Command-Fort LeeJuly 1, 2015

Small businesses benefit from combined resources
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Peyton Rowley briefs small and large business representatives on government contracting procedures during a Mission and Installation Contracting Command acquisition forum open house June 17 at Fort Lee, Virginia. Rowley is a contracting officer with ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Small businesses benefit from combined resources
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Anne Mastrincola speaks small and large business representatives about obtaining government contracts during a Mission and Installation Contracting Command acquisition forum open house June 17 at Fort Lee, Virginia. Mastrincola is a procurement cente... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEE, Va. -- (July 1, 2015) The strategic partnering with two local small business experts with more than 65 years of shared acquisition experience with diverse companies along with contracting professionals from the Mission and Installation Contracting Command here offered a wealth of information for open house participants June 17 at the Fort Lee Playhouse.

MICC-Fort Lee contracting officials discussed several upcoming requisitions during its acquisition forecast open house attracting about 45 companies and 65 representatives from small and large business. The event also allowed time for networking between government contracting and small business representatives.

Contracting officials informed participants who generally are new startup companies with less than one year of operation that they should seek out a procurement technical assistance center, or PTAC, for detailed information concerning the comprehensive processes of government contracting and advice on when to start seeking work from the government. They said the closest procurement center representative is a valuable resource when large or small businesses need help understanding the Federal Acquisition Regulation or have questions relating to issuance, government contract performance or improving advance approaches to government acquisitions.

The PTAC offers hundreds of training events monthly for its more than 70,000 active clients and conducts thousands of in-depth counseling sessions weekly. In 2013, the PTAC helped generate $12 billion in contract awards to prime- and sub-contractors. Small businesses were awarded 93 percent of PTAC-assisted contract.

Anne Mastrincola of the U.S. Small Business Administration served as the first guest speaker, delivering the presentation "Obtaining government contracts utilizing your resources." As the only procurement center representative located in the Richmond, Virginia, area, Mastrincola possesses more than 30 years of government contract experience.

During the open house, Wayne Heringer, the vice president of Triumph Enterprises, Inc., said Mastrincola and the PTAC are great resources for ensuring success.

"I noticed that a lot of (small disadvantaged) and new small businesses attend the MICC open house events," he said. "I greatly recommend they take advantage of Ms. Mastrincola's extensive knowledge and the advice she has to offer. As a long-time participant in the contractor community, I have found this event overall to be an excellent refresher for me to continue to be successful."

Addressing open house participants next was Joanne Tompkins, the director of the Crater Procurement Assistance Center. As a procurement professional with more than 35 years of experience in government and private sector purchasing, contracts administration and materials management, Tompkins offers newly established companies guidance about certain pitfalls they may experience, particularly those that try to acquire federal contracts too quickly during their developmental stage.

Carolyn Rogers Jackson, the owner of C&L Solutions Testing Center LLC, said the presentation provided "in-depth information of government contracting and numerous opportunities for participation."

Presenting information on behalf of the MICC-Fort Lee staff were Maj. Jessica Sexton, acting director; contracting officers Dewey Faniel, Peyton Rowley, Patsy Simmons, Tim Wills; and Donald Randles, contracting specialist. MICC contracting officials said combining the useful resources from the PTAC and SBA along with key information from the contracting staff resulted in a greater response from those in attendance.

"Short, succinct and to the point -- a definitely valuable use of our limited time to get some excellent information," said Sean Murphy, a program manager of Native American-owned small business InterSpec LLC that provides environmental inspection and training services.

MICC-Fort Lee is responsible for providing cradle-to-grave contracting support for supplies, services and construction to a variety of customers. In 2014 the office processed more than 900 contract actions with an estimated obligation value of approximately $152 million and total dollar value of $264 million. The contracting office administers more than 2,000 contracts with a total estimated value of $1 billion. It manages more than 400 Government Purchase Card Program accounts for Fort Lee and Fort Eustis, Virginia, responsible for more than 31,000 transactions estimated at an additional value of $15 million.

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