Hi there, nice to meet you 🙂
Do you want free bid opportunities sent to you on a daily basis?
Neat! Follow the steps belooow.
- Click here to find a PTAC closest to you
- Register with your local PTAC office (free)
- Jot down a list of relevant NAICS codes with help from this tool
- Get in contact with your local PTAC representative to request free Bid Matching services
- Get relevant bids sent to you every day!
Last thing…
FYI, PTACs don’t all function as carbon copies of one another. That said, you will need to use the instructions above as more of a roadmap that can lead you to your daily-free-bids destination if ya put in a little elbow grease. Something else to keep in mind: available PTAC counselors, tools, events, etc., will vary from place to place. As well as what they require from you to enroll you in their free bid-matching service.
Step 1. Click the link and select the PTAC office closest to you. It might not be exactly in your city, but perhaps in a nearby county or larger service area.
Step 2. Once you complete Step 1 above, you’ll have to roam around your local PTAC site for something along the lines of a “registration” button or “become a client” link to complete your local PTAC registration.
Step 3. NAICS Codes categorize work.
You’re going to need to categorize your work before you get in touch with a counselor, as they’ll need to understand the type of work you do (via NAICS Codes) in order to filter out relevant bids to send your way. Pick as many or as few NAICS Codes as you want; just make sure you can actually perform the work and keep them safe somewhere for the next step.
Step 4. Might require you to email or call the local PTAC office to notify them you’ve registered and are interested in obtaining their free Bid Matching services. You may have to try a few times, but do be persistent and proactive in your attempts to speak with a representative. PTACs exist to help you and, to a certain extent, get funded to do so.
Step 5. After you successfully make contact with your local PTAC representative, they should be able to establish your Bid Matching service. OR, they might have some additional requirements. Don’t know what those are, unfortunately, they vary by location. After you jump through any/all bid matching hoops, you should be receiving relevant bids in relevant locations in your inbox daily.
The moral of the story is that if you register with PTAC, you can get their free Bid Matching service. Other companies will offer you bid matching as a paid service ranging from several hundred to thousands of dollars. But, like many government-related services, there are often free alternatives intended to build equity in contracting and allow everyone to participate in government procurement. And PTAC is a good place to learn about opportunities available to you.
And here’s a little bit of PTAC history in case you’re wondering why PTACs exist in the first place, how they’re totally not a scam, and who pays them to help you. Also, they’re rebranding to APEX Accelerators, btw.
APTAC was authorized by Congress in 1985 in an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in the government marketplace. Administered by the Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the program provides matching funds through cooperative agreements with state and local governments and non-profit organizations for the establishment of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) to provide procurement assistance.
Procurement and Technical Assistance Centers were created to help small businesses enter the B2G marketplace – or sell to the government. Registering with PTAC is free, only takes a few minutes, and offers a host of small business benefits. PTACs offer free workshops, one-on-one counseling, and matchmaking events to teach you how to connect with potential business partners and government buyers.
I encourage you to explore your local PTAC site (from your Step 1 adventure), you might stumble upon some very useful resources, like an upcoming Government Contracting 101 webinar or an interesting speaker. IDK, check it out, hope you find something worthwhile.
I always did!