Recently Maine PTAC counselors participated in the Virtual Small Business Training Week 2020 (SBTW20). This annual conference is put on by The Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs, and due to COVID-19 was held virtually this year. The conference allows attendees to gain insights to developing effective and efficient acquisition strategies. Breakout session included various speakers providing best practices in subcontracting, market research, building the Defense Industrial Base, utilizing the SBA’s HUBZone and Woman-Owned Small Businesses contracting programs.

Attendees included DoD Small Business Professionals. Program Managers, Contracting Officers, SBA Procurement Center Representatives, and of course PTACs from every corner of the nation. The conference is closed to industry, but if you’re doing work with, or wanting to do work with the DoD, reach out to your Maine PTAC counselor. There was a lot of information learned that we’re willing to share.

There are times after you read a solicitation that questions need to be answered before you can start the process of putting a bid together. You pick up the phone and call the Contracting Officer (CO) listed on the solicitation and leave a message, expecting to receive a call back. And you wait…and wait…and wait. If they do not return your call, the one thing you know for sure – they didn’t return your call!! This information is not going to help you with your bid. The key is to keep trying. Contracting Officers are not working on this one solicitation but typically have multiple other projects. Sometimes it takes persistence, with patience, to finally obtain the information you need.

Communication with a CO is a two-part system: Leave a voicemail message and then immediately follow-up with an email message explaining your reason for the call and the information you require for the bid. This allows the CO to find the information and provides them with two options for getting back to you.

Want your call returned? Be specific: Call a specific person with a specific question about a specific opportunity. As mentioned previously, CO’s are working on multiple opportunities and time is precious. When leaving a message, be polite and get to the point. They do not want to hear a 3-minute rambling message. If you happen to have an administrative personnel answer the phone, don’t go into great detail about your concerns, save that for the ‘right’ person, the CO. And finally, be persistent in a kind and friendly way. A gentle push stating we are here to provide the product or service being solicited is better than an ‘unpleasant’ and impatient follow-up to a nonresponsive CO. Your PTAC counselor can assist you with government communications, it is what we do.

It is one of the first steps in becoming a government contractor and one of PTAC Counselors’ most frequently asked question, “What is a DUNS number and why do I need one?” While we at PTAC are used to hearing this question from our PTAC clients who wish to sell their goods and/or services to government agencies, COVID-19 has brought about a new wave of businesses who have been told they need to obtain a DUNS number in order to apply for state or federal grants. This month alone, I have received countless emails from small business owners who, while applying for a CDBG grant, have been informed they must provide their DUNS number in order to continue with the application.

So what is a DUNS number? Put simply, it is a unique nine digit identifier for businesses. D U N S Numbers are often referenced by lenders and potential business partners to help predict the reliability and/or financial stability of the company in question. D U N S, which stands for data universal numbering system, is used to maintain up-to-date and timely information on more than 330 million global businesses. Obtaining a DUNS number is free and less complicated than most other government processes, however, many business owners wish to contact PTAC for assistance with the process. Once your registration is completed correctly, you may receive your DUNS number in as little as 24 hours. Before you begin the process of applying for a DUNS number, reach out to your local PTAC Counselor so they can help you submit your information correctly and help you on your way to selling to government agencies or receiving beneficial government grants.

Last month we talked about the difference between grants and contracts. And the fact that PTAC can only help with contracting with the exception of SBIR and STTR grants. So, this month we will explore SBIR and STTR and how it is that PTAC can assist.

What exactly is SBIR and STTR? SBIR, Small Business Innovation Research, and STTR, Small Business Technology Transfer, are highly competitive federal government programs with the intent to encourage small businesses to engage in research and development with the potential for commercialization.

The SBIR/STTR program goals are:

Our goal at Maine PTAC is to help you be ready for this process. We can help you determine suitable opportunities; help prepare for and make sure that you meet program requirements, and we will help you prepare and submit your proposals.

To learn more about SBIR/STTR programs you can visit www.sbir.gov and talk with your PTAC counselor, they will be happy to talk with you about this program.

A National Stock Number (NSN) is a 13-digit alpha/numeric code identifying the “standardized material items of supply” for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The system is principally administered by the Defense Logistics Agency. It is also recognized by all NATO countries as a NATO Stock Number. Other stock numbering systems are in use within the DoD, but as of 2020, the NSN remained the most common and least ambiguous way to identify most standardized items of supply.

During your SAM registration, you had to select NAICS codes that described your industry, and you also had an opportunity to pick out FSC codes for your products and PSC codes for your services. For instance, a “bolt” is FSC code 5306, so this would be the beginning digits of the NSN number for any bolt. An NSN for a “pen” would start with 7510 for office supplies.

The format of a 13-element NSN is described as follows:

abcd-ef-ghi-jklm

Structure of an NSN (this particular number representing an incandescent lightbulb):

WebFlis is the NSN Search Service provided online by the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) - https://www.webflis.info. Beginning 10/1/2020, all public data will available in a revised PUB LOG Tool. Refer to the link for details.