Organization

Procurement Technical Assistance Center helps manufacturers diversify

By Ingrid Jacques
Jackson Citizen Patriot
Monday, March 8, 2010

Bill Hirsch, projects manager at Clarklake Machine Inc., wanted to do more for his country. So in late 2007 he wrote a letter to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and told her about the company and how he wanted to help the U.S. Department of Defense.

A short while later, he was contacted by Pennie Southwell, the Enterprise Group’s program director of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center. After a site inspection and gaining the necessary security clearances, Hirsch and the company were on their way to fulfilling his vision. Clarklake Machine, 9451 S. Meridian Road in Clarklake, is a precision parts manufacturer that specializes in parts for heavy trucks and motorcycle transmissions.

Now the company is working on its second defense contract. Both projects have supplied tools that support the mobility of ground vehicles and are put directly into operation, Hirsch said.

“How many times do you get to help your country?” Hirsch said. “It elevates the organization.”
In a tough economy, area manufacturers have had to diversify. PTAC helps companies do that by teaching them how to land contracts with the federal government. It serves approximately 70 companies in Jackson County.

PTAC is a nonprofit organization funded largely by grants from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and “supports national security by ensuring a broad base of capable suppliers for the defense industry and other agencies,” according to the Enterprise Group’s Web site.

Southwell said Clarklake Machine is one of many PTAC success stories. As the program director for the past 23 years, Southwell has a lot of experience matching local companies with national projects — and things are looking up for Jackson.

In 2008, the value of contracts in Jackson County was $2.3 million, but that more than tripled to $8.5 million in 2009. Southwell said the majority of these contracts were with the Defense Department.

While the procurement process is not easy, she said the rewards are worth the effort. The federal government has money to spend, plus it pays promptly for completed work — which is not always true of traditional clients.

The Jackson PTAC office was the first in Michigan, and is now one of 13 in the state. Though companies do not have to go through PTAC to secure contracts, Southwell said she can make the process easier for clients since she is familiar with the bidding process and the laws and regulations.

Most federal contracts are bid on and won on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site, FedBizOpps.gov. The government posts all of its bidding opportunities of more than $25,000 on the site, which advertises more than 26,000 active federal opportunities.

Bill Rayl, executive director of the Jackson Area Manufacturers Association, said while it can take significant work to land a contract, area companies have had “a lot of success” through the program when they know how to match their capabilities with an available project.
“You get what you put into it,” he said.

Rayl said JAMA works alongside PTAC to help manufacturers find niches that turn into successful ventures. JAMA has also coordinated subcontracting opportunities for smaller companies that may not take a bid on their own, but are able to provide parts or services for the company with the contract. Consequently, several companies could benefit from one contract.

For more information about the Procurement Technical Assistance Center of South Central Michigan, visit www.enterprisegroup.org/ptac or call Pennie Southwell, the Enterprise Group’s PTAC program director, at 788-4680. He is proud that Clarklake Machine was named the “Jackson County Government Contractor of the Year” in 2008 by PTAC and subsequently recognized in 2009 by Congress through U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek.