The Norcal PTAC is a program that supports businesses by improving their access to contracting opportunities with federal, state and local government entities. The new PTAC will be co-located with the Norcal Small Business Development (SBDC) Lead Center at HSU—the Sponsored Programs Foundation entity that submitted the grant application. The center will be the sixth PTAC in California and will provide services to 13 counties along the coast from Oregon border to Santa Cruz. Federal funding for the Norcal PTAC program is annually renewable.
“We recognized that there is a tremendous opportunity for Northern California businesses to diversify their revenue streams by having access to government contracts,” said Kristin Johnson, director of the Norcal SBDC. “With the support of the Northern California SDBC Network, HSU is creating more opportunities for small businesses and local economies to thrive.”
Government contracts can result in large revenue increases to qualified businesses, but require knowledge of how the government buys and navigation of complex regulations.
“Getting to know the government as a customer can be daunting,” said Norcal PTAC Manager Mike Schremmer, “but the Norcal PTAC can help get the ball rolling.”
Prior to this addition of the Norcal PTAC in Arcata, the closest Procurement Technical Assistance Center available to assist Northern California businesses has been in Monterey. The other centers are primarily clustered in Southern California.
Services of the Norcal PTAC will include no-cost one-on-one consulting and low-cost workshops to guide procurement-ready businesses through the ins and outs of entering the government marketplace and acquire qualifying certifications.
For more information about the Norcal PTAC’s upcoming training workshops, or to apply for no-cost contracting assistance, please visit norcalptac.org, or call (707) 826-3919.