About Us

National Procurement Technical Assistance Program

The NMSBDC/PTAP, which serves as a Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), is funded in part through a cooperative agreement from the Department of Defense (DoD) through a program that is administered by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The content of any written materials or verbal communications of the PTAP does not necessarily reflect the official views of or imply endorsement by DoD or DLA.

The national Procurement Technical Assistance Program began with the 1985 federal fiscal year. Since then it has grown to more than 90 programs, which includes both Procurement Technical Assistance Centers or PTACs and statewide programs referred to as Procurement Technical Assistance Programs or PTAPs. All of the PTACs and PTAPs throughout the United States assist businesses in learning how to do business with federal, state, and local governments. The PTACs and PTAPs are expected to make a concerted effort to seek out and assist small business concerns, small disadvantaged business concerns, women-owned small business concerns, HUBZone small business concerns, and service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns as defined in Part 2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

The Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) is the national association for PTACs and PTAPs and serves as the main certifying entity.

PTACs and PTAPs are a local resource available at no or nominal cost that can provide assistance to business firms in marketing their products and services. They offer training to businesses on how to research and bid on contracts, assist with registration requirements, provide bid-matching services, and assist with pre- and post-contracting issues.

PTAP in New Mexico

Through the efforts of Roy Miller, the former Statewide Director of the New Mexico Small Business Development Center network, the NMSBDC/PTAP was officially established on February 1, 2009. The Cooperative Agreement requires 1:1 matching funds and, since inception of the program, these matching funds continue to be provided by the State of New Mexico. The host institution of PTAP is Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the host organization is the New Mexico Small Business Development Center network. Wendy Ederer was selected as the Program Manager and began managing the program on May 12, 2009. The program was designed to provide services to the entire state of New Mexico. The Program Manager is responsible for taking an administrative and oversight role in the program. The first Procurement Advisor was hired in August of 2009 to cover the Albuquerque area. By the beginning of 2011, the Program employed seven Advisors covering all 33 counties of New Mexico and an Assistant to the Program Manager. The Program Manager, the Assistant to the Program Manager and the Advisors are strategically located near the four military bases and two national laboratories in New Mexico.

Vision and Mission

The vision of the NMSBDC/PTAP is to be the driving force in New Mexico’s economic development by providing the highest standard of excellence in service and dedication to our clients, and by promoting a spirit of collaboration within the community.

The mission of the NMSBDC/PTAP is to counsel, train and assist New Mexico business owners to obtain government contracts, thereby advancing both entrepreneurship and economic growth in New Mexico.

NMSBDC/PTAP Statewide Advisory Council

The NMSBDC/PTAP has a Statewide Advisory Council comprised of representatives from the offices of the New Mexico federal elected officials, all of the federal agencies with procurement offices in the state of New Mexico, state and local government, small businesses, prime contractors and statewide Chambers of Commerce. The Statewide Advisory Council meets twice a year with a purpose of discussing current contracting challenges that affect small business, learning the latest developments in the NMSBDC/PTAP and also communicating what is occurring at their agency or business. The Council members individually and collectively provide substantial support to the NMSBDC/PTAP and help to spread the word to small business owners throughout the state about the services provided by the NMSBDC/PTAP.

NMSBDC/PTAP Advisors

The seven NMSBDC/PTAP Advisors have a wealth of experience in both procurement and business management. In their work with small business owners, they draw on their experience in the areas of accounting, marketing, contract administration, and consulting. PTAP Advisors assist business owners in all aspects of procurement including registration in vendor databases, identifying appropriate agencies to target, developing marketing strategies, assistance in proposal development and the administrative aspects once a contract is received. The NMSBDC/PTAP includes Advisors who specialize in Veteran Owned, Service Disabled Veteran Owned and Native American Owned small businesses. The Advisors utilize the fact that they do come from different backgrounds, often consulting with each other to make sure clients receive the type of help they need at each stage.