Here's help for small businesses to find government buyers

Bensenville's Liberty Fastener Co. gets 10 percent of its sales from the federal government - a "very valuable chunk of our business," says Shari Nickens, sales and purchasing. For one thing, she says, Uncle Sam "pays on time."

With many commercial accounts, she explains, "You're not paid until you have the check in hand, and these days many customers are slower about paying."

Small business experiences such as Liberty's connection with the government make Rita Haake happy. She is program manager of the Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC for short) at College of DuPage in Lisle, and the one who helped Nickens team with the government.

If you haven't discovered PTACs, you might want to do some exploring. Essentially government-funded and therefore free to small businesses, PTACs bring small businesses and contracting officers at federal agencies together:

The feds earmark 23 percent of purchasing dollars for small businesses. "Gold for small businesses," Haake says.

If you want some of those dollars, you have to be proactive. "The government doesn't know you exist until you tell them," says Haake.

There's an online bid-matching process that sorts through the vast network of federal agency purchasing officers and matches small businesses with individuals who have authority to buy.

Haake helps along the way, though you ultimately must do the research and develop pricing that works.

The system even helps with the pricing. "We have to do research and submit our quote online," Nickens says, "but you can see a history of the specific part, who has supplied it in the past and the cost. So we can make an educated quote."

What's not to like? Well, you do have to put effort into the process. "We could benefit from a full-time person dedicated to the time and research for government sales," Nickens says. And there aren't many PTACs - fewer than 90 nationally and about a dozen in Illinois. In addition to the PTAC at COD, there is a good one at College of Lake County, Grayslake, where PTAC Director Marc Violante hangs out.

The government "is trying to be a good (small business) customer," Violante says. PTACs "provide a peek over the (government) fence. We're a portal" to what can be very positive federal business.

Eugene Klein, a service-disabled veteran (but a set-aside plus in the federal world) is president of Enlightenment Inc., a consulting and brokerage business based in Huntley.

He credits Violante as being "critical to my education."

Klein has learned well. Depending on the opportunity, he either joint-ventures with, or represents, other businesses seeking a piece of the federal pie. The ultimate goal: An Enlightenment-funded not-for-profit that provides business and education support for other service-disabled vets.

Questions, comments to Jim Kendall, JKendall@ 121MarketingResources.com.

ˆÂ© 2008 121 Marketing Resources Inc.