Government Contracting Assistance Montana

Flathead County’s HUBZone Status Extended!

Flathead County’s HUBZone designation status was scheduled to sunset on July 31st, 2018, but the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 that was signed by President Trump on December 12, 2017, extended Flathead County’s HUBZone designation until December 31st, 2021. This is excellent news for area contractors that are currently HUBZone certified as well as those that have been considering making an application for certification. The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. The program’s benefits for HUBZone-certified companies include: … Read more

2018 NDAA Increases Civilian Micro-Purchase Threshold to $10,000

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Matthew Moriarty – Senior Associate Attorney – Koprince Law LLC The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed by President Donald Trump on December 12, 2017 increases the standard micro-purchase threshold applicable to civilian agencies from $3,000 to $10,000. Last year, the NDAA increased the Department of Defense (DoD) micro-purchase threshold to $5,000. This larger jump for civilian agencies is likely to have large impact on government purchasing. A micro-purchase is one for goods or services that, due to its relatively low value, does not require the government to abide by many of its ordinary … Read more

Missoula Concrete Construction Wins Spot on the GSA Schedule

Missoula Concrete Construction is a PCI Certified plant, which fabricates precast and prestressed concrete for projects such as commercial buildings, bridges, parking structures, vault concrete outhouses, and EverLogs™ precast concrete log homes. Missoula Concrete first met with PTAC in early October 2016 to resubmit their GSA eOffer. Prior to this they had hired an outside firm to help them submit an offer. This initial offer was rejected for many deficiencies. After much frustration and no progress towards their goal of being on the GSA Schedule, Adam Bauer, President, reached out to Patty Cox with Missoula PTAC for assistance. Because they … Read more

Companies in Montana are Continually Scammed by Fake SAM Registration Operations

Small businesses that sell products or services to the Federal government are routinely being taken advantage of by companies that charge them to register in System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is administered by the US General Services Administration (GSA). Launched in July of 2012, SAM combined the various federal government certifications and registrations, necessary to do business with Feds, into one application. SAM registration has always been free. This has not stopped a number of companies from sending out misleading emails, text messages and phone calls, often posing as being sanctioned by the Feds or from the government itself. … Read more

Teaming for Government Contracting Success

Government contracts are getting larger. Tasks that were once performed under multiple, smaller contracts might now be consolidated under one to make it more efficient and cost-effective for the government. Smaller companies may not be in a position to bid on contracts of this scale because of limited resources. Managers who would like to compete on large opportunities, or projects that require diverse capabilities, may want to consider teaming with another company. Teaming arrangements are defined in and governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the principal set of rules pertaining to the federal government’s purchasing process. According to Subpart … Read more

Keep Learning for Success

True North Contracting LLC has been working with PTAC for about a year, and they have come a long way. PTAC started by assisting with their SAM registration and SBA profile. From that point we took both Jesse and Kaity Butler through various learning/training processes including a government contracting orientation, a three-part series on joint venturing and teaming, and several in person meetings to discuss how to find opportunities. We helped them to register at different federal sites explained the SDVOSB set-aside program. PTAC also assisted True North in becoming certified through Veterans First program as a certified SDVOSB and … Read more

PTAC Success Story-Rollins Field Service, Inc.

Rollins Field Service, Inc. 2460 Clarks Point Drive Laurel, MT 59044 https://billingsonsiterepair.com/ Jennifer and Dustin Cornell have always had entrepreneurial aspirations. They have owned and operated a tool and tire company for many years and in 2016, they were presented with the opportunity to purchase Rollins Field Service, Inc. The company was an established heavy equipment repair operation with mobile capabilities, a solid reputation and established customers. The couple was excited about taking the company to the next level. Heavy equipment cannot be moved off-site for repair, so it is necessary for the mechanic to go to the equipment. … Read more

Long-Time Contractor Witnesses Many Changes

Settle Contracting, Inc., located in Kalispell, is a general contracting firm that performs: site-work; road, bridge and dam construction; water and sewer line construction and subdivision maintenance. In addition to owning and managing the contracting firm, President Steve Settle is a wild land firefighter. A PTAC client since 1998, Steve has worked frequently with Doug Bolender, the government contracting advisor in Kalispell. Doug has helped Steve obtain HUBzone certification and register his vast array of heavy equipment for fire fighting seasons. In addition to assisting Steve with numerous fire contracts, Doug has advised Steve on construction bids for the Forest Service. Throughout the years, … Read more

“Start Small, Think Big”

“Start small. Think big.” That’s the advice PTAC advisors often give companies interested in government contracting. Successfully performing on small government contracts can pave the way for winning larger contracts down the road. Canyon Electric, a Billings company, is off to a great start. The company recently secured a $25,000 project at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Livestock and Range Research Laboratory in Miles City. Winning the contract involved meeting a short deadline to register in the System for Award Management (SAM). An active registration in the database is a requirement for anyone who wants to do business with the federal government. Fortunately, … Read more

A Big Win for a Missoula Company

Missoula-based Abatement Contractors of Montana, LLC (ACM) was recently awarded a $25,000,000 with the Air Mobility Command at Fairchild Air Force Base. One of just four companies participating in the four-year, multiple task order contract (MATOC) contract, ACM is a general contracting and environmental remediation company. In 10 years, the 8 (a) certified firm has grown from a three-person operation to a firm employing 31 people in two states. Government contracting has added a vital dimension to ACM’s client roster and bottom line. The company has successfully managed over 200 8(a) projects, in addition to completing hundreds of commercial and private residential projects. The Missoula PTAC has had the opportunity to assist owner and president Tanya Chemodurow in a variety … Read more