New York SBDC Research Network

The New York Small Business Development Center is pleased to recognize the boldest, brightest, and best small companies and enterprising individuals in New York State.  Eight small business owners were honored at the 2017 Client Awards ceremony on April 24, 2017.  Read all their stores here.  J. Ben Primicias has been in the school supply business for a long time. He opened his first store with the assistance of the Watertown SBDC in 1991, selling a variety of educational items for teachers and parents. In 1996 Ben returned to the SBDC for assistance in buying property and building a structure with more room for inventory. The expansion required that he add new employees. Most of Ben’s in-store business is from local teachers, schools and parents, but his catalog has generated sales from across the country and overseas and account for nearly half his total sales. In 2008, Ben added another aspect to his business, consulting the SBDC before building an attached seasonal

Recently, a client asked Judy Wolf, the NY SBDC's Government Contracting Coordinator , if there was a source the compiled information on all matchmaker events taking place in NY, CT, MA, NH, and VT.  Unfortunately, she wasn't aware of such a resource. Fortunately (for the rest of us), she pulled together some really useful information for those states. From Judy: In NYS, matchmaker events tend to be coordinated on an agency-by-agency basis. For NY, I'd recommend getting on the mailing lists for the agencies that most frequently organize them, such as the regional PTACs and the SBA. I do know of the following: •    March 28 North Country PTAC Matchmaker in Watertown: http://www.wbenc.org/calendar-all/2017/3/28/2017-north-county-ptac-matchmaker-ny •    The SBA Albany Matchmaker this year is June 20: https://www.sba.gov/offices/district/ny/syracuse/resources/albany-matchmaker-expo •    The SBA Buffalo Matchmaker looks like it's going to be May 10 this year • 

The Empire State Purchasing Group has updated its website. The original URL (empirestatebidsystem.com) will now take you to http://www.bidnetdirect.com/new-york , where your old vendor login and password should still work. "All participating local government purchasing departments invite vendors to register for exclusive access to RFPs, bids and awards on the bid system. Registered vendors benefit from more bid information in a central location, less paperwork and an easier method of doing business with New York local governments." Creating a new vendor account to be able to access bid information is simplified. It lets the user poke around and see what our clients see. To create a free account, simply DO NOT SELECT a paid program and hit NEXT. It will sign you up for the free account. You'll need to renew your subscription every six months, but it's free. The site now includes a search functionality for bids that should create more ease of use when trying to fi

Kim DiLeo grew up in a construction family and learned about small business issues at an early age. After her first corporate job out of college, she soon realized she preferred small business. In 2011 Kim founded Kimco Group,  Inc. a mechanical construction company that specializes in plan and specification work both in the public and private sector. Over the past five years, Kim has expanded her one-employee business to an average of 5-10 employees, depending on contracts in process. Since 2011, Kim has applied for and received certification as a DBE, WBE and EDWOSB. She first consulted the SBDC in January 2013 to learn about Federal and NY State procurement opportunities. The company has grown substantially over the last few years from completed projects of less than $10,000 in 2012 to more than $3.5 million in completed projects by the end of 2015. In 2014, KIMCO became a union signatory in order to expand opportunities in the NY market. She also conducts

This is the second post in our " Contracting Corner " series from Judy Wolf, Government Contracting Coordinator, Mohawk Valley SBDC & NY SBDC Procurement Assistance Center   If you’re like most small business owners, you’re drawn to the idea of government contracting, but don’t necessarily know where to start. Perhaps you’ve heard talk of small business set asides or minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran-owned business utilization requirements, which can make it sound as if winning government contracts is a given for companies owned by individuals who are eligible for certification. Don’t be fooled. While there can be some benefit to being a small business, particularly one owned by members of certain historically under-represented groups, government contracting is not an easy row to hoe. The following questions cover some cornerstones you’ll want to make sure form a solid part of your foundation before you start building your business in this comp

The federal government contracts out millions of dollars in goods and services every year, with a percentage of these contracts set aside just for small businesses to bid on. The General Services Administration's  Forecast of Contracting Opportunities Tool  enables would-be government contractors to  view potential upcoming federal contract opportunities  at GSA and several other federal agencies. Search this national database by agency, location, industry code and more.  The latest issue of  Philanthropy News Digest  is now available. The latest issue of  Philanthropy News Digest  RFP Bulletin  is now available. The latest issue of  PND Connections  is now available.

From SBA: The U.S. Small Business Administration today released its annual Small Business Procurement Scorecards, which provide an assessment of each federal agency’s annual small business contracting achievement against its goal using a grade of A+ through F.  The federal government received an “A” on the government-wide scorecard for 2015, reflecting significant efforts by federal agencies toward meeting their 23 percent statutory goal.  The federal government also reached its small business federal contracting goal for the third consecutive year, awarding  25.75 percent in federal contracts to small businesses totaling $90.7 billion.  The 25.75 percent of contracts awarded to small businesses represent the highest ever percentage of contracts awarded to small businesses by the federal government. “I’m very happy to report that the federal government exceeded our 23 percent small business prime contracting goal for the third year in a row, with the federal governmen

From SBA.gov: The WOSB procurement program website is undergoing a facelift. A new website, called SBA ONE, will allow for the electronic submission of SBA forms, as well as a streamlined location to monitor all certifications for your company including the repository. With the change, there are three things you need to know: 1. All WOSBs will need to create a new login for the new system. The new website is actually an entirely new system and as such all WOSBs will need to create a new account and login (but not reload all documents – see next). The SBA is also asking that after creating a new account, all WOSB/EDWOSB companies submit new Form 2413 (WOSB certification) and/or Form 2414 (EDWOSB certification) electronically. Businesses should do this as soon as possible. 2. The repository is being migrated, but is currently closed. This is important for two reasons: 1) your documents previously submitted should move to your new account and not require resubmission (ex

Watertown: March 29, 2016 North Country PTAC Matchmaker 2016 is an opportunity to meet with procurement and prime contractors and representatives from state and federal government agencies in a series of one-on-one appointments. This annual event provides valuable networking opportunities with dozens of exhibitors and government contracting resources. Both government agencies and prime contractors are looking for qualified firms to buy products and services required to fulfill government procurement needs. Here is the current list of Prime Contractors and Government Agencies you will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with. •    US Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) •    Black Horse Group •    General Services Administration (GSA) •    New York State Preferred Source Program (NYSPSP) •    Fort Drum Mission Installation Contracting Command (MICC) •    NYS Office of General Services MWBE Office (NYS OGS) •    Development Authority of the North Country (DANC) F

This is the first post in our " Contracting Corner " series from Judy Wolf, Government Contracting Coordinator, Mohawk Valley SBDC & NY SBDC Procurement Assistance Center Interested in government contracting? There’s good reason to look toward this area of opportunity. According to USAspending.gov, on the federal level in FY 2015 alone, more than $428 billion were spent on nearly 3.4 million contracts. More than 127,000 of those contracts were awarded in New York State, bringing nearly $9.4 billion into New York. Add to that the fact that it is written into law that the federal government has to do everything in its power to funnel 23% of its spending to small businesses, and this equates to great opportunity for entrepreneurs! Federal agencies take this responsibility very seriously. Recent measures to enforce the importance of these goals include adding measurements to the evaluations of senior federal agency officials tracking progress toward meeting small busine

For the first time in 8 years, the federal government has met its annual 23% goal for small business contracting... This has resulted in more than $83 billion dollars of revenue for small businesses, the engine and innovators of our resilient economy. This is a groundbreaking and proud achievement for the federal government and especially for our small businesses. When small businesses win federal contracts, it strengthens the American job market and boosts our nation’s economy. When small businesses are able to play an integral role in the federal supply chain, it’s a win-win for America. More from SBA .

The New York SBDC's Procurement Assistance program has updated the following list of procurement-related events in 2014:  2014 Procurement Events New York State Syracuse – March 20, 2014 Operation:  Start Up & Grow Veteran Business Conference Onondaga Community College, Gordon Student Center; 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM Register at http://www.sba.gov/operationstartup ; ( 315) 471-9393 Plattsburgh – March 21, 2014 ( Date Confirmed ) Plattsburgh Small Business Development Center and Empire State Development Team Up for a Small Business Matchmaker SUNY College at Plattsburgh, 194 US Oval, Plattsburgh, NY Karen Stehlin; Karen.Stehlin@plattsburgh.edu ; (518) 564-2042 Watertown – March 25, 2014 Watertown Small Business Development Center and North Country PTAC Matchmaker 2014 Jefferson Community College, Jules Center; 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM www.northcountryptac.com   (315) 788-4400 Robin Stephenson; rstephenson@sunyjefferson.edu ; (315) 782-9262 Buffalo –

From the Rockland SBDC Oscar Nordstrom, a Service Disabled Veteran, founded Nordstrom Contracting & Consulting, Corp (NCC) in 2004 as a family-owned and operated small business. NCC provides a variety of construction and renovation work for Federal Agencies, including electrical, mechanical, plumbing, interior fit-outs and finish trades. In that time NCC has performed projects totaling more than $10 million and NCC is especially proud that all projects have been completed on or before required completion and within original budget! NCC’s trademarks are attention to detail, responsiveness, integrity, and genuine pride in its work. Since its inception NCC has grown consistently every year. Mr. Nordstrom says “By aligning the client’s goals with ours, working as a team on each job, we develop and maintain close working relationships with every client. Our past projects, current service contracts and ever-growing portfolio are a testament to the abilities and superior performance of

Significant procurement changes recently in Article VII of the 2012-2013 NYS Executive Budget [PDF] . See Part L - modify outdated procurement procedures, pages 128-153. The OGS Procurement Services Group's (PSG) mission is to provide customer focused procurement services through the development and management of contracts and programs that are responsive to customer needs; are cost effective, practical, and timely; and provide comprehensive and innovative procurement alternatives, thereby assisting customers in accomplishing their primary mission. Bureau of State Expenditures Vendor Management Unit (VMU) Site Vendor Guide to New York State’s Centralized Vendor Management Processes Frequently Asked Questions for Vendors Vendor Responsibility VenRep System Welcome Package (Handbook) SFS Forms

I've written here before about the fact that, unlike for women-owned, or minority-owned businesses, there is no certification, as such, for small business in New York State. Yet, certain vendors that offer set-asides for small businesses are looking for such documentation; calls to our office confirm this trend. Generally speaking, most government procurement entities allow for self-certification; what one US President once called "trust but verify." It appears, though, that some companies have decided to have small business set-asides, and erroneously believe that ALL states have a more systematic procedure, as California reportedly does, or did. What is a small business to do? If the business is listed in a database such as Reference USA or a Dun & Bradstreet product, perhaps a record from those sources would do. Perhaps a file business certificate a/k/a a DBA, might be enough. But maybe not. My favorite suggestion, from one of our SBDC advisors, which

WASHINGTON – SBA Administrator Mills statement on the President’s “QuickPay” announcement today to cut in half – from 30 days to 15 days – the amount of time it takes federal agencies to pay small businesses for the products and services they deliver to the federal government: “The thousands of small businesses that provide great products and services to the federal government have a big reason to cheer the President’s ‘QuickPay’ announcement today. When small contractors get their money in 15 days instead of 30, it results in a permanent infusion of cash flow into their businesses. They can put that money towards working capital, expanding their businesses, marketing their products, and creating jobs. Their financial footing gets stronger – permanently. With nearly $100 billion each year in federal contracts going to small businesses, cutting in half the time they get paid is a powerful way to help put America back to work now. QuickPay is a smart and powerful boost that effect

“Getting Started in New York State Contracting – NYS Contract Reporter” (Webinar #7 in the Procurement Webinar Series) Presented by: Roxanne Mutchler, Government Contracting Coordinator, NYSSBDC Procurement Assistance Center at MVSBDC Topics to be covered: The Contract Reporter is one of the main resources for contract opportunities in New York State. Train your clients to take full advantage of the information available at this website. Date: January 26, 2011 Time: 9:30—10:30 AM How to register: Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/305250977

Many programs that are less than $25,000 are listed at FedBizOpps ; ones over $25K MUST be, but smaller ones are not prohibited. One should sign up with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the SBA , as it says here . Beyond that, creating a relationship with the particular department is a good idea.

The New York State Contract Reporter is "New York’s official publication state procurement opportunities from state agencies, public authorities and public benefit corporations. The NYSCR is now free of charge for general access." Also check out OGS' Procurement Law, Guidelines and Procedures and Seller Information & Bid Opportunities . Just as important, when you find a contract that may be expiring in the next several months, TALK to the purchasing officer associated with that contract. There is a window during which they can help a prospective business, but another during which they cannot.