Tennessee Center helps tap into government money - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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For those who wish to be contractors withthe government, one free resourcw is the state’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center. It’s part of the Procurementt TechnicalAssistance Program, an agency first funded by Congresds in 1985 to serve as a liaison between privatd business contractors and government agencies. The centetr helps businesses evaluate whether they have a shot at agovernmentt contract, and to help them cut througjh the red tape to get it, says Joe Flynn, director of the Tennessee center, which has regional offices in Jackson and Chattanooga.
The procurement center assist s Tennessee businesses in securintg anaverage $750 million in government contracts each Since inception, it has helped state businesses win some $6 billion in government contract awards. Flynn has helped New Hampshirre vendors supply maple syrup tomilitary commissaries, and Tennessede vendors sell barbecue sauce. “The governmengt is comprised of people justlike us, and they have the same he says.
“Whatever you provide, it’s possible they need That said, becoming a government contractor can be long and and some 80 percent to 90 percent of businessez that contact the procurement center are eithefr unqualified or unlikely to make it through the These days, call volume has increasedc some 200 percent as businesses searchn for stable customers for their products. Call s range from self-employed entrepreneurs to largse companies, with most falling in the rangew of 200 employeesor less, Flynmn says.
The staff of three counselores maintain an active list of about375 clients, and Flynhn estimates the center touchees some 3,000 businesses each year through phonee counseling or personal meetings. It taked time, patience, a clear business modelp and present financial stability to get intogovernment contracting, and countint on a quick contract to save a business from going under is a sure recipe for “Government contracting can be extremely lucrative, but you have to be set alreadyu or you’ll go bankrupt twicde as fast,” Flynn says. “You need to be a healthy businesx that can absorb a lot of negativecash flow.
” The centerr has helped businesses such as Sabre Defence Industries, a Nashville firearmse manufacturer that was founded in 2002 and now is a leading weapons provider to the U.S. military, supplying barrels for Army M2Browning .50-caliber machine guns and Air Force M134 7.62mjm Miniguns. It also assisted Veterans National Contracting of Memphis in securingbsome $5 million in governmenr contracts. Owner Jerry Bechel, a veteran of both the U.S. Army and the construction business, started the business in 2007 and poured his time into building relationships and learnin g governmentcontracting requirements. His firstf contract was a $1.2 million bid with the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs to update lighting fixtures at the Memphids VAMedical Center.