October 2005
Defense center at NJIT draws satisfied customers at annual signing
An executive coach, a general contractor and the owner and the founder of a small environmental agency can be interviewed at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on Oct. 11, 2005, about how the Defense Procurement Technical Assistance Center (DPTAC) at NJIT has helped them navigate the procurement process.
John Lee, owner of Winlee Corporation, Toms River, Larry Doyle, president of the Human Factor, Mt. Laurel, and Kiran Gil, president and founder of Pars Environmental Inc., Robbinsville, will focus on how DPTAC helped each of them obtain government and corporate contracts in 2005 using DPTAC's free counseling services. "Obtaining this kind of work is not easy, especially for minorities, women and veterans, categories which fit most of our clients," said Dolcey Chaplin, an attorney and Ridgewood resident who has directed DPTAC since 1997.
At the event, Altenkirch will sign an annual contract with the Department of Defense. To date, DPTAC's influence has resulted in awards of more than $966 million in contracts in New Jersey. Chaplin will receive an award of excellence, "Outstanding Achievement in Support of the Department of Defense," from the Defense Contract Management Agency. NOTE TO LOCAL EDITORS/REPORTERS: Call Sheryl Weinstein, 973-596-3433 or 3436 to interview Chaplin or to attend the event. The signing takes place at NJIT's Guttenberg Information Technologies Center, Lock Street and Central Avenue, Room 3730, 10 a.m.-noon. Breakfast will be served. Colonel Mitchell A. Howell, Commander DCMA, Springfield, and NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch will make brief speeches.
Gill, a native of West Windsor, founded her own full-service environmental firm that uses nanotechnology for soil and ground water remediation. The firm also performs health and safety work, chemical inventory, reports for school districts and more.
Doyle is the sole proprietor of a firm providing business services for human resources. His business focuses on organizational development, plus the training and coaching of executives. As a service disabled veteran, Doyle has leveraged his status to attract certain contracts.
Winlee Corporation, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business, was recently formed by Lee, who like Doyle was a disabled veteran. He founded a small company that performs general construction work. But when he tried to firm up a contract with a government agency, he ran into problems.
Lee came to DPTAC asking for help with a request for proposal for a contract under $25,000. "John needed help responding to the government's unique terms and conditions," said Chaplin. "Our counselor Sherri Rose helped him and Winlee Corporation was awarded its first government contract."
Chaplin noted that DPTAC, this January, will hold its annual Veteran Procurement Fair to introduce veterans with businesses to contracts available from the Department of Defense and private companies.
DPTAC provides assistance to business firms by sponsoring outreach workshops and seminars, the implementation of government market research in the form of bid information opportunities, and one-on-one counseling sessions on all aspects of government procurement. The center's offerings have reflected the changes in the government marketplace.
"It sounds like a simple process, but isn't," says Chaplin. "We train our clients in e-commerce, educate them about the varied aspects of the bidding process and strongly advocate the use of certification as a potent tool to obtain prime and subcontracting opportunities." Chaplin's clients have included diverse companies ranging from glove manufacturers to warehousing operations.
Generally, a small business is defined by federal regulations to include those manufacturing companies that employ less than 500 workers. A service company's size is determined by annual gross sales.
New Jersey Institute of Technology, the state's public technological research university, enrolls more than 8,300 students in bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 100 degree programs offered by six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, New Jersey School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, Albert Dorman Honors College and College of Computing Sciences. NJIT is renowned for expertise in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and eLearning.