See original article published by Boise State News here.
Due to the recent success of the Idaho Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), its program director, Lori Manning, was requested to be on a nationwide training panel sponsored by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
Panelists met several times prior to the training event to offer insight to Sherry Savage, the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) manager at DLA. The panel training, “Working with Your Sponsoring Agency or Host Nonprofit,” was on Dec. 15, 2020, and trained PTAC program managers and directors across the country.
The Idaho PTAC provides no-cost services to Idaho businesses to expand their sales, marketing and government contracting opportunities.
From July 2019 when Manning joined Idaho PTAC through Oct. 2020, the Idaho PTAC improved its cost per counseling hour by 698%. Idaho’s PTAC moved from last place to seventh out of 89 PTACs across the country. This huge improvement in one year garnered national attention and Manning’s invitation from Savage to join the panel.
“The recognition the Idaho PTAC, SBDC and Boise State University received is immense. The success of this program would not have happened without the dedication of our PTAC staff and team members,” said Manning. “I was asked recently in an interview if the Idaho PTAC grew during COVID? My answer was yes! Our greatest achievement yet occurred in our state’s darkest time as we walked alongside businesses offering hope and training for additional revenue streams.”
The PTAP was authorized by Congress in 1985 in an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in the government marketplace. Administered by the Department of Defense, the program provides matching funds through cooperative agreements with state and local governments and non-profit organizations for the establishment of PTACs to provide procurement assistance.
