News

News

The Innovation Station made its debut at Alliance Northwest this year and it was a great success! The Station featured Washington resources such as the WAV-C cluster, the NW Tech Bridge, the Washington National Guard Spark Cell, and the new ARC WA program – Accelerating Research and Commercialization in Washington State.

Over 800 attendees were at the event and more than 100 of them attended workshop dedicated toward innovators, such as SBIR 101, Why YOU Need to Know about Non-FAR, and the Cyber Security presentation. We look forward to a larger presence next year so save the date – March 14, 2024!

Resource Partner Highlight

This week: Meet the Clean Energy Test Beds, a part of the Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington. The Washington Clean Energy Testbeds accelerates the development, scale-up, and adoption of new technologies in solar harvesting, energy storage, and system integration. Currently the testbeds are looking for candidates for their Cleantech Hardware Innovation Prototyping (CHIP) program, funding by DOE’s Energy Program for Innovation Clusters. For more information contact Michael Pomfret at mpomfret@uw.edu. Due April 14, 2023.

Agencies releasing topics in April include:

• Department of Defense 23.2
• NSF – open all year

You can learn more about these agencies at the SBIR Website.

Workshops for Innovators

SBIR 101 – April 21

Questions? You can reach out to Kate Hoy, khoy@thurstonedc.com if you have any questions or if you would like to include relevant notices in this section.

Bid Opportunities

Subcontracting opportunities - Find sub bid requests from prime contractors such as Pease & Sons, Kiewit, MidMountain Contractors, Granite Construction Company and more

Upcoming Events - Virtual unless otherwise noted

Keep scrolling to find upcoming events divided into four categories:

• Focused Classes
• Monthly Meetings
• Series Courses
• Tradeshows and Conferences

Bethel School District Evergreen Elementary School Subcontractor Outreach Event

4/6/2023

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

The renovation will include room reconfiguration, new finishes, updating the mechanical and electrical systems and related site work.

Small-Business Opportunities for the Following Designations:

Local (30%) MBE (10%) SBE/Mini/Micro (5%) VBE (5%) WBE (6%)

Doing Business with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

4/11/2023      

9:30 AM - 12:00 PM  

EMSL Building, 3335 Innovation Blvd, Richland WA 99354

Experts from Acquisitions, Construction Management, Subcontract Management, and Environment, Safety, & Health will be on hand to present valuable information regarding requirements, security infrastructure, and the Hanford Site Stabilization Agreement to better prepare you and your business to be a construction prime or subcontractor with PNNL.

8(a) Business Development Program - Are you 8(a) Ready?

4/12/2023      

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM              

You may be wondering, what are the benefits of 8(a) certification? By getting certified as an 8(a) small business, you may compete and receive set-aside and sole-source federal contracts, receive one-on-one business development assistance, connect with procurement and compliance experts who understand regulations, and much more.

Federal Contracting Lexicon

4/12/2023      

3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Understanding and speaking the correct contracting language is very important to avoid miscommunications and frustration.

In this class you will learn correct terms and their meaning, so conversations are more meaningful, shortened and unambiguous. Talk the lingo so both parties understand what you are saying. Build your contracting vocabulary.

Government Contracting 101

4/13/2023      

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM     

Western Star, 202 SR-31, Metaline WA 99152

Government Contracting 101 will help you discover tools and information that can help you determine who in state and local government buys what you sell, how they buy it, and how you can prepare your firm to succeed in the public marketplace.

Hensel Phelps Port of Seattle Outreach Event

4/20/2023

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM 

Emerald Downs, 2300 Ron Crockett Dr NW, Auburn WA 98001

Stay informed about current opportunities with Hensel Phelps and trade partners, VECA and Hermanson.

Featured topic: Best Practices When Reviewing RFPs and How to Connect with PTAC with special guest Maryam Lynch-Tate of the Washington Procurement Technical Assistance Center.

Steps Leading to a Federal Contract  

5/10/2023      

2:00 PM - 4:30 PM

The federal government's process to award a contract is like nothing you've experienced before. There are multiple steps to complete, in order to compete and be awarded a federal contract. You will learn:

• Each required step to complete for a federal contract
• Efficiency Tips and Tricks
• How to get solicitations as soon as they are posted on sam.gov
• Two extra bonus topics regarding post award (debriefs & contractor performance evaluations)

Upcoming Events - Monthly Sessions

Contracting Coffee Hour, 5/3/2023, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM   

Got contracting questions? We have answers!

University of Washington Virtual Workshops for Suppliers, 4/6/2023, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

The orientations will provide a learning opportunity to assist in navigating potential business prospects at the University and with other state agencies, as well as educational and other resources to assist businesses. 

PTAC & SBDC First Friday Follow-up, 4/7/2023, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Friday Follow-up is an open forum, round table for businesses to get answers from your local PTAC counselor and SBDC Advisor. Bring your questions regarding government contracting and learn from knowledgeable Small Business Experts. Our main focus is to share resources for growing your business.

PTAC: Prime Connect, 4/12/2023, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM *NEW*

A structured matchmaking event for Primes and Subcontractors to connect on future projects.

Wednesday with the Deputy for Small Business, 4/26/2023, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Wednesday with the Deputy for Small Business is an opportunity for Industry partners to learn about doing business with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport.

Doing Business with the state – DES, 4/20/2023, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

On the third Thursday of the month, the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) facilitates an interactive conversation with state procurement professionals who can provide information and insight on how to do business with the state.      

Upcoming Events - Series Courses

Washington PTAC, an APEX Accelerator, has created a 10 part virtual Public Works Contracting Series for contractors wanting to know how to perform on public works projects. The target audience is contractors ready to transition into public works. For contractors new to public works there will be a number of ah ha moments throughout the training series. You will learn from instructors with years of experience in the topics they are presenting. Their real life experiences lend to the curriculum and enhance the conversations.



Expect to receive resource tools to support the session’s main points. The 2-hour sessions start at 3:00-5:00 PM on Tuesdays. If you are interested in learning more about public works contracting get registered.

Bidding Sessions

Session 6 – Business Plan and Pursuit Schedule – April 4th

Session 7 – Spec and Schedule – April 11th

Session 8 – Pricing – April 18th

Session 9 – Bidding – April 25th

Session 10 – After Bid Submission Etiquette – May 2nd

Upcoming Events - Tradeshows and Conferences

Bridging Partnerships 4/12/2023 Kennewick WA    

Meet the Agencies - Whatcom/Skagit 4/19/2023 Bellingham WA

Meet the Agencies – Clallam 5/18/2023 Sequim WA

Govology classes, live and on demand, are Free for Washington PTAC clients – contact your PTAC counselor for access. Click here for the list of Govology this month’s live classes. 

Recorded webinars available.