KALAMAZOO ? The Southwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), which has helped regional companies win $33 million in government contracts each year, became part of Southwest Michigan First on Jan. 1.
One of 12 PTACs in Michigan and 89 nationally, the center serves about 180 companies each year from Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties. Center Director Mike Black said his bid matching, proposal assistance and contract guidance services are free. He?s also helping businessess find grant opportunities in addition to government contracts.
He?s also helping businesses find work with the government, not just grants.
PTAC, housed at the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center at Western Michigan University?s Business Technology Research Park (BTR), has been managed under the auspices of a number of local entities, including ? most recently ? Western Michigan University.
?Our mission is about supporting local businesses and helping them to expand and grow,? said Jill Bland, Southwest Michigan First vice president of business services. ?This is an ideal fit for our organization and we believe it will be a good fit for PTAC, as well.?
Some 29 percent of the companies using PTAC?s services end up with government contracts, Black said. About 110 of these clients are serious about working with the government, and their success rate is around 47 percent. Last year, PTAC clients reported landing $33,345,000 in government contracts with PTAC?s help.
Bland says she and her staff have often referred companies to the PTAC during retention calls. Bringing the center under her organization’s umbrella advances the goal of creating a one-stop shop for area businesses. As companies examine whether they can afford to keep their operations in Southwest Michigan and in the United States, she said, government contracting is one more place to look to increase, or at least maintain, their revenue stream.
