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Small Business Development Center

Technical Assistance Services

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Technical Assistance

The Small Business Development  Center provides technical assistance with general government procurement and specific programs such as the Small Business Innovation Research program .

Procurement - Doing Business with the Government

Doing business with the local, state, or federal government can be complicated.

The Small Business Development Center Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) is designed to help businesses compete for government contracts.  Procurement counselors are available to help assess whether your business is ready to fill government contracts and guide you through the process, if your business is eligible. 

Prior to entering into a government contract, a small business owner should consider whether or not the company has (a) the capacity to fill the contract, (b) the resources required to acquire the inventory, and (c) the personnel to execute the process. Typically, a small business must have been in business  --successfully -- for three years before it is qualified to do business with the government.

Typically, procurement assistance includes development of a marketing plan and access to a computer matching service, which offers a complete description of U.S. Government procurement invitations for federal agencies. Matches between South Carolina businesses and federal government solicitations are made on the basis of client profiles developed for each SBDC client.  In addition, there are several programs that procurement clients may join that will greatly increase their chances for obtaining government contracts.  These programs are offered for a small fee.

Additional information can be found at the SBA web site on government contracting.  For further assistance in the USC region, contact the following specialists for an appointment.

Specialist	Office Location	Phone
Scott Bellows	Columbia	(803) 777-5118
Rick Miller	Charleston	(843) 740-1646

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR ) SBIR and STTR are federal research and development grant programs. Our procurement specialists are trained to assist the small business owner in determining if there is a government solicitation for which they can apply.  For further information, please contact your local SBDC office or visit the SBA Office of Technology web site .

Source: Microsoft Corporation