Workshop Offered to Small Businesses
On Doing Business with the Government

Titusville, FL – The Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center is hosting an “Introduction to Government Contracting” series of workshops.  The second workshop of the seven-part series was held on Tuesday, May 8^th, from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.  The workshop, conducted by the University of South Florida’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), covered the topic of RFP’s (Requests for Proposals) and Invitation for Bids.  

            PTAC Counselor, Ms. Vicky Bledsoe, conducted the workshop and has over 20 years of government contracting experience.  Ms. Bledsoe was formerly with the United States Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.  The cost for the workshop is $15 per workshop or $75 for all 7 workshops.  The other workshops in the series include:

June 12, 2001:  Examining the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).   This class provides walks through the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) – what’s in it, who it applies to and when, and what you should pay attention to.

July 10, 2001:  Responding to Solicitations.  Find out how someone else does it, and get some tips and tricks for making sure your proposal has a fair shot at being the winning one!

August 14, 2001:  GSA Schedules - What's that? 

Ever hear the question "Are you on the GSA (General Services Administration) Schedule?"  When you pre-register, please tell us what kind of business you own (i.e., furniture, management services, trucking, etc.).

September 11, 2001:  Getting your Business "Certified"

Are you a small, minority owned or woman owned business?  Are you in a HUBZone?  Learn what "getting certified" will do for you company, what socio-economic programs are available and to whom and what it takes to "get certified" as a W/MBE, SDC, 8(a) or HUBZone company.

October 9, 2001:  Marketing your product or service to the Government. 

          So, you're coded, registered and certified -- now what?  Learn some tips for identifying which agencies really buy your product/service, who to call, what to say, and where to find the bid opportunities.

            The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) of Florida is funded by a grant from the Department of Defense to help business do business with the federal government.  The PTAC offers free, one-on-one counseling and assistance in getting government contracts at a number of locations throughout the state of Florida.  The Florida PTAC has locations throughout the state, including Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Bonita Springs and Ft. Walton Beach.

            The Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center, established by the Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) in 1996, helps accelerate the success of technology-based, small businesses by providing affordable space and shared office services, thereby reducing the costs of starting and operating a small business.  The Incubator is managed through a joint partnership of Florida’s TRDA, NASA-Kennedy Space Center and Brevard Community College.   The Incubator is located at Brevard Community College, Titusville campus, at 1311 N. Highway U.S. 1, Building 3. 

            To register for the workshops, call either (800) 733-7232 or Bonnie Ebrecht at (321) 267-5601.  For further information about the Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center, call Dave Kershaw, director, at (321) 267-5601.