Government Contracting

Great Falls APEX Can Help You!

The government buys everything, but are you positioned to sell to them? If you are pursuing government contracting on local, state and/or federal levels, Great Falls APEX (formerly PTAC) can help your business navigate the intricacies of government contracting.

Great Falls APEX Advisors provide consulting, training, tools, and are a resource for businesses interested in contracting with government agencies. Designed to offer the most personalized and timely advice possible, our services are offered in various ways:

• Telephone Consultations
• In-Person Appointments
• Zoom Meetings
• Training Webinars
• Workshops and Seminars
• Matchmaking Events

Whether you are located in a remote, rural area of Montana or on a city’s main street, you can take advantage of APEX services. Our consulting, training and support services are available to all Montana businesses that are interested in – and suited to – working with federal, state, and local agencies or prime contractors.

Great Falls APEX serves Cascade, Chouteau, Hill, Liberty, Pondera, Teton and Toole counties. To locate an APEX Accelerator near you, please visit Montanaapex.org.

Consulting * Training * Support

• Examine whether government contracting is suitable for you.
• Explore and pinpoint target markets.
• Identify agencies’ buying trends.
• Review bids and proposals.
• Find networking events.
• Understand purchasing methods and contracting basics.
• Learn how to locate bid opportunities.
• Navigate the requirements for doing business with the General Services Administrator (GSA).
• Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and get registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) and other government websites.

Small Disadvantaged Business: The federal government awards about 10% of all federal contracting dollars, or roughly $50 billion in contracts to Small Disadvantage Businesses. Eligible businesses can self-certify if they meet the criteria set by the Code of Federal Regulations. The firm must be 51% or more owned and controlled by one or more disadvantaged persons. The disadvantaged person or persons must be socially disadvantaged and economically disadvantaged. The firm must be small, according to SBA’s size standards.

Mentor Protégé Program (MPP): To qualify as a protégé, a business must be small according to SBA size standards, be for profit, and have a proposed mentor prior to applying for the program. To qualify as a mentor, a business must be for profit, be able to carry out its responsibilities to assist the protégé, possess good character, not appear on the federal list of suspended or debarred contractors, and be willing to impart business knowledge and guidance to the protégé.

DBE or SBE State Certification: DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise for 51% woman or minority owned) and SBE (Small Business Enterprise for 50/50 husband/wife or 100% white male owned) Programs provide business assistance to contribute growth and self-sufficiency of businesses in the transportation industry. Eligible businesses must be small according to SBA size standards. The majority owner(s) must have a personal net worth under $1.32 million, be for profit, and the majority owner must be a US citizen.

Apply for Small Business Programs and Certifications:

Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification: The federal government tries to award at least 5% of all federal contracting dollars to women-owned small business each year. To be eligible, a business must be a small business according to SBA size standards. Be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens. Have women manage day-to-day operations who also make long-term decisions.

Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Certification: To qualify as an EDWOSB, a business must meet all the requirements of the WOSB Federal Contract Program. Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with a personal net worth less than $850,000. Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with $400,000 or less in adjusted gross income averaged over the previous three years. Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with $6.5 million or less in personal assets.

Service-Disabled-Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB): The federal government aims to award at least 5% of all federal contracting dollars to SDVOSBs each year. To be eligible, a business must be 51% owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans. Be a small business according to the SBA size standards.

HUBZone Certification: The federal government tries to award at least 3% of all federal prime contracting dollars to HUBZone-certified small business each year. To be eligible for the HUBZone program, your business must qualify as a small business based on the SBA size standards. Be majority-owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, an Alaska Native corporation, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian tribe. The principal office of the business must be situated in a designated HUBZone and at least 35% of its employees must reside in a HUBZone. Meeting these requirements enables your business to participate in the HUBZone program. The HUBZone map changed on July 1, 2023. Check the new HUBZone map now to determine whether your principal office and employees are located in a HUBZone.

8(a) Certification: The federal government tries to award at least 5% of federal contracting dollars to small disadvantage business each year. To qualify for the 8(a) program, businesses must meet the following eligibility criteria: They must be classified as small businesses and must not have participated in the 8(a) program previously. They must be majority-owned and controlled by U.S. citizens who are socially and economically disadvantaged. Financial requirements include maintaining a personal net worth not exceeding $850 thousand, an adjusted gross income below $400 thousand, and total assets totaling $6.5 million or less. Businesses must demonstrate good character and show potential for success, such as having operated for a minimum of two years. Once certified, businesses can benefit from the 8(a) program for up to nine years.

Online Courses

Whether you are starting a new business, looking to expand, or working to secure government contracts, our team has online courses to help!

Schedule an appointment with a Great Falls APEX Advisor today…

This GFDA APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD).