COLORADO WINS FEDERAL PROCUREMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER

 

Gov. Bill Ritter announced today that Colorado has won an award for a new Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) to help local businesses land government contracts and increase economic opportunities.

 

The award, through the U.S. Department of Defense, will allow for the creation of a statewide procurement program to assist Colorado's small businesses obtain contracts with federal, state and local governments. It will be based out of Colorado Springs with satellite workers providing additional coverage throughout the state.

 

"Colorado's small businesses form the backbone of our economy," Gov. Ritter said. "Bringing a PTAC to Colorado is critical for our small business community, especially since Coloradohas such a significant federal government and military presence. This center will allow for all of Colorado's small businesses to get fair and equal access to do business with the government, at a time when there is much work to do to get our economy moving again."

 

The Procurement Technical Assistance Program was authorized by Congress in 1985 in an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in the Government Marketplace. There are now 93 PTACs in states around the country. Nationwide, businesses working through a PTAC were awarded contracts totaling $14 billion during the most recent procurement cycle, creating or retaining 334,000 jobs nationwide.

 

As an example of how a PTAC can benefit a specific state, the Alabama PTAC helped businesses there land 4,258 contracts worth $5.4 billion over the past three years, creating 123,185 jobs.

 

The Colorado PTAC will help equip thousands of businesses statewide with resources to help them compete for federal, state, county, and municipal procurement opportunities. The federal government requires that nearly one quarter of all its procurement contracts be awarded to small businesses, including disadvantaged businesses.

 

The application process for a PTAC included a multi-year effort involving numerous entities, including the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Institute for Civic Achievement Inc. based in Glenwood Springs, and many other businesses, organizations and volunteers across the state.