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2015 Annual Report
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The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico stands today at the verge of a historical transformation. Driven by the need of renewed economic activity and investment, the local business ecosystem continues to evolve, opening and pushing opportunities never explored before by companies and individuals. In this process, the Federal Contracting Center (FeCC) of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) have been key partners, addressing the interest of those pursuing business opportunities with the federal government. At the conclusion of the natural year 2015, the FeCC has seen an increase in the share of Puerto Rico firms participating in federal contracts. This represents new investment and economic activity locally, estimated in approximately $395 million. Convinced of the potential that the federal and procurement sectors represent, PRIDCO continues to stimulate and promote the participation of local firms in the process. Puerto Rico provides strategic advantages for companies seeking new business opportunities in the federal sector. Meeting the requirements of the U.S. legal framework while providing competitive labor and operational costs, companies operating locally can find increased business
activity by exploring the opportunities available in the
federal contracting market. In this process, PRIDCO and FeCC stand as key partners for companies to provide the necessary tools are available for successful results.
A message from the Program Manager of the Federal Contracting Center
2015 was a successful step forward in furthering our mission to proactively position businesses in the federal government market while actively assisting and matchmaking companies with federal contracts available. Despite a challenging environment, and a decrease in Government procurement, our clients increased their sales from $65.3 million to $96.3 million in the federal market, helping create or maintain 1,927 jobs. Equally important, it is the value added that these awardees gained by being a federal contractor. Many commercial doors were open because of the standing that most government contractors enjoy. Characteristics such as being quality conscious, price competitive, technologically proficient and commitment to customer satisfaction are seen as synonymous of federal contractors. I am also proud to report that in 2015 we acquired 707 new clients and held 1,927 counseling sessions in addition to 26 training and outreach events that exceeded 736 attendees. These results demonstrate a measurable impact on Puerto Rico’s economy; nonetheless, they are only one piece of the puzzle. I am confident that after reviewing this report, you will appreciate the true impact FeCC is having in Puerto Rico. FeCC’s accomplishments could not be achieved without the selfless support from the staff; Bárbara Rivera, Nildalisse Rodríguez, Rey Torres, Lynette Serrano and Amanda Blanco. Nor without the inspiration of our clients and stakeholders. Their support, coupled with the strength and resources of the FeCC, form a solid infrastructure that leverages the power of federal and state programs for business owners on the Island. A special recognition goes to Bárbara Rivera who acted as program manager during the first four months of 2015. Her leadership and commitment played a key role in this year’s success. As we move forward in 2016, we will continue to develop innovative ways to assist entrepreneurs in adjusting to and capitalizing on the increasingly rapid changes in the federal marketplace.
Pedro J. Acevedo
Program Manager
To proactively position businesses in the federal government market while actively assisting and matchmaking companies with federal contracts available.
To become Puerto Rico's gateway for federal contracting opportunities by increasing local business participation in federal contracts.
Mission
Vision
“The Puerto Rico Federal Contracting Center (FeCC), 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 FeCC does not necessarily reflect the official views of or imply endorsement by DOD or DLA.”
The Puerto Rico Federal Contracting Center (FeCC), also known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), is a division of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) with more than 29 years of experience in federal contracting. The FeCC is focused in assisting local businesses to sell their goods and services to the federal government. The FeCC opened it’s doors in 1986-87 and it is part of a nationwide network of 92 Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, a DoD funded program through cooperative agreements to assist US businesses in pursuing federal procurement opportunities. The FeCC provides exceptional quality service at no cost, to any business located in Puerto Rico, that is interested in selling their products or services to the Federal Government. Any business that is qualified and has potential and interest to sell to the federal government is more than welcome to apply for our services.
About Us
A snapshot of 2015 Metrics
Evaluation Factor Achieved
Active Client Base
921
Counseling hours 1755
Counseling activity 1927 sessions
Conferences / attendees
26/736
Contract Awards 96,331,963
Jobs created / Retained 1927
Return of Investment (ROI)
$1,000 invested in FeCC generated $257,522.52 in contracts awarded to PR firms
$1,000 invested in FeCC generated 5.15 jobs
FeCC currently serves 921 active clients. Below is the breakdown of the counseling activity by
client socioeconomic segment.
Clients Diversity
Events
Sponsored
Outreach
Seminars and Conferences
• 36 Seminars and conferences were sponsored or participating (outreach).
• 736 entrepreneurs participated in the training programs
• 19 trainings events were created and offered by FeCC consultants.
• These events were presented in format such as: seminars, e-labs, matchmaking, conferences and workshops.
Sponsored events are conferences, workshops, seminars , matchmaking or similar events hosted by the FeCC or others, where FeCC staff has served as a main speaker or resource.
Outreach refers to other events where the FeCC has participated to provide general awareness or guidance about its services.
• 17 events were attended by the FeCC staff in a liaison with entrepreneurs entities such as:
• MedWeek, • Puerto Rico IT Cluster, • Small Business Administration, • The Professional College of Engineers
and Land Surveyors of Puerto Rico, • PR United Retailers Association, • The PR Products Association, • PR Manufacturers Association, • EZ GSA, • PYMES, • PRIMEX, • Aerospace & Defense Space Cluster, • USDOL • Federal Agencies.
Seminars and Conferences: Client’s Reviews
“Excellent presentation. Very organized”
“The presenter was very well prepared!” “Great information!”
“Very informative!” “Information was clear and specific.”
“Very useful and user-friendly fundamentals essential to get your business going with the Federal Government. Great Presentation”.
“Great time management”
“Excellent seminar. Very informative and explanatory. Very good initial orientation ”.
“The seminar was excellent; the presenter was very pleasant, with full knowledge of the topics. Congratulations on this seminar and I hope you continue offering it.”
“The presenter has knowledge of the subject and shows confidence.”
“Excellent presentation. Straight to the point and useful information. I will
be interested in a meeting soon to discuss my business. Thanks!”
“Excellent job and tons of useful information.”
Going the extra mile
Working along with GSA FY 2015 was crucial to demonstrate the significant role of the Puerto Rico FeCC in connecting and promoting federal opportunities to our small business community. Even though, our center have always worked actively with federal agencies, assisting and supporting them to identify local capabilities to fulfill their specific needs; this past year we have been catalytic in promoting milestone projects opportunities, particularly with GSA. Due to our constant outreach efforts to key personnel within the government, in and outside of Puerto Rico, GSA offices in New York, Philadelphia and even Denver contacted us to request our support to promote main construction projects competition among local small contractors. The agency understands the great opportunity these projects represent to our construction industry due to the economic impact they will represent in terms of business activity, jobs creation and retention, not to mention, the importance of providing a fair opportunity to compete and win a federal contract. “Our work with the Federal Contracting Center (FeCC) was nothing short of amazing. The FeCC was an instrumental part in GSA conducting successful Solicitation phase kick-offs and Small Business Networking Events for the New Federal Building project in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The FeCC's role in coordinating space for the events, reaching out to local small businesses to take part in the events, and making themselves available to assist both GSA and the local community was commendable. Barbara Rivera was our main point of contact and liaison and she was incredibly helpful and accommodating at every step of the way. The GSA team appreciates the time and effort that the FeCC put in to assist GSA with providing an opportunity for the local community to become more involved with the New Federal Building project and attributes their efforts to the growing interest of this project.” Steve Kohri Contracting Officer GSA Mid-Atlantic Region (3PQCK)
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your professionalism in assistance me and HQJ Plumbing Supply Inc., understand the FeCC. PRIDCO is a vital resource to the economical growth in Puerto Rico, I have visited your office a number times and you were always available. We here at HQJ Plumbing Supply Inc., want to thank you and we look forward to using your services now and in the future.”
Gustavo A. Rivera HQJ Plumbing Supplies Inc.
“The Puerto Rico FeCC has been instrumental in our company’s recent growth. They have provided
not only in-depth training, but have also helped prepare us to sell to the Federal Government and
assist in all the documentation, including the correct preparation of collections. The Puerto Rico
FeCC is truly a one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to sell to the Federal Government.”
Carlos J. Toro Sárraga Oscar Super Cash & Carry
“We recently contacted the Federal Contracting Center for orientation and assistance with the
Women-Owned certification. The staff assigned to attend our inquiry was very knowledgeable
and attentive as they walked us through the requirements for such certification. They also helped
us clarify some of the questions on the application as well as with upload process in SBA and SAM
systems. Moreover, they were able to direct us to short term actions we could take to initiate
marketing with the federal agencies in regards to our services and our newest certification. We
look forward to continuing our collaboration with the FCC as we kick off 2016. Thank you again for
your assistance and follow through with this matter! ”
Aissa Betancourt Snelling Staffing Services
“When I received the notification related to a pre-solicitation notice for small businesses with the
NAICS code 541310 (Architectural Services), I took a moment to think about this opportunity. On
the past, I considered this an extremely time consuming process, but to find out more information I
decided to contact the Federal Contracting Center (FeCC). Since that first call, from the
receptionist, Amanda up to the Director Pedro Acevedo the support and assistance were
outstanding, specifically from the Specialist assigned to me, Ms. Nildalisse Rodriguez. She walked
with me all the steps of the process, always on time for our meetings, no time pressure to answer
my questions, offered valuable comments to the information provided, understand of my business,
asked clever question to know more about our capabilities, answered always my calls, help me in
all the process and more. With this team, I feel confident that a great job has been done, it’s an
spectacular and unique experience. Thanks a lot!”
Isabel Piñeiro Genex Engineers, PSC
Success Stories
New Garden Design Inc. is a company dedicated to
the making of designs, construction, plants rental
for the interior or exterior, maintenance, cut and
trim of illuminated trees, sprinkling and drainage of
gardens and green areas, commercial and
industrial. Their main objective is that their projects
easily integrate to the physical facility in order to
create natural environments throughout Puerto
Rico. The company considers that thanks to their
cost control and organization of resources they
have become a leader in the Landscaping industry.
The company became a FeCC client on February,
11, 2015. The FeCC counselor gladly helped the
client by providing orientation about the services
offered by the center. The client learned how to
find and evaluate bid announcements, and the
correct way to respond to them. Not only was the
client oriented, but he was also guided step-by step
through the process of selling to the federal
government, complying with all the necessary
requirements.
By that time, the Puerto Rico Air National Guard
(PRANG) reached out to the FeCC to receive
support in organizing a site visit with small
businesses to discuss a landscaping opportunity at
Camp Santiago in Salinas. The FeCC immediately
responded to the PRANG request and a site visit
was held on April 7, 2015.
As a result of FeCC’s outreach efforts, 40
landscaping small businesses participated in the
event, and New Garden Design Inc. was one of
them. During the site visit, the FeCC counselor and
PRANG personnel oriented the companies about
the opportunity the agency had. New Garden
Design Inc. worked closely with the FeCC counselor
on this opportunity in order to submit a
competitive proposal. As a result, they were
awarded the Camp Santiago Drop Zone Ground
maintenance contract; their first federal contract
for the amount of $9,000.00. Mr. Raul Malavé and
his team were excited about this achievement, due
to the fact that very few companies obtain a
contract on their first year approaching the federal
government market. Motivated by this opportunity
New Garden Design, Inc. started working with the
FeCC counselor on their 8(a) certification
application which will provide them access to other
targeted business opportunities within the federal
government. At the present time, the services are
still being provided to the client and they are
currently undergoing the 8(a) certification.
Success Stories
Confianza Exterminating Corp. has been serving
Puerto Rico since 1993 and specializes in pest control
services such as prevention, baiting, beneficial insects,
and traps; providing to commercial, residential,
institutional, governmental and Industrial customers
throughout all of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Mr.
Francisco San Miguel and his wife Sofia combined their
skills, education and experience to manage the
business. The staff is all licensed Pest Control
Technicians who have worked in the field enabling
them to provide the clientele with accurate and
concise information dealing with pest control
situations. They believe that their success was built on
a standard quality control procedure: inspection,
identifying the problem, educating the customer and
implementing appropriate and customized treatment
plans. Mr. Francisco San Miguel, president & owner is
also the President of the Puerto Rico Pest Control
Association.
The customer segmentation for the company was led
by the health industry; they serve the main hospitals in
the Island. When the economy began to change, they
lost some contracts in the aforementioned industry as
well as local government contracts. Given that
situation, Mr. San Miguel had a vision of looking to the
federal marketplace to balance the company’s
customer portfolio.
They met with a FeCC counselor to get the
company ready to do business with the federal
market.
He participated in several seminars to understand
the process. The counselor guided him by offering
technical assistance to get registered in the System
for Award Management, and helped him
understand how to conduct a market research in
order to establish a federal opportunity capture
plan. As part of that plan, he received assistance in
preparing a capability statement, as well as
preparing, completing and submitting the firm’s
application for the 8a Business Development
Program. As a result, the company was awarded
two federal contracts, one in the Island awarded
by the Puerto Rico Air National Guard for the
amount of $18,830.00 and the other in the Virgin
Islands, giving the company entrance into the
federal market, and the opportunity to offer their
services in other territories. The company was also
approved to enter under the 8a Business
Development Program.
“I would like to recognize the professional support
that the FeCC provided since 2014. We thank the
team for helping us achieve the 8a certification and
the required registrations. We also hope to work
closely this year with the FeCC”
Francisco San Miguel, President
Success Stories
Oscar Super Cash and Carry is a committed company
since its beginnings in 1974. It has accomplished its
mission of “Providing merchandisers the widest
variety of products at the best prices at the precise
moment”. Even though they have been present in
the commercial market for 40 years, they have never
considered selling to the federal government before.
As soon as they heard about this potential market
through a close friend they decided to contact the
Federal Contracting Center (FeCC). The company
became a FeCC client on July 2014 when they
received orientation on how to do business with the
federal government. With the help of the FeCC
counselor they created their Capability Statement, a
key federal marketing tool. They also received
technical assistance from the FeCC counselor
through all the registration process (SAM) and the
billing system (WAWF).
Looking to identify small business capabilities within
the food sector, once again, the Puerto Rico Army
National Guard (PRANG) contacted the FeCC to
coordinate a Matchmaking Event for Food
Distributors to discuss their needs of food supplies
for the current fiscal year. Oscar Super Cash & Carry
was identified as a prospect to fulfill the PRANG
needs to supply food to kitchens in several military
bases around the Island.
After attending the event mentioned before,
it became clear to them the tremendous
opportunity the federal market represents
for their business growth. Soon after, and as
a direct result of FeCC assistance, in 2015
Oscar Super Cash and Carry was awarded
$455,758.13 in government contracts, being
able to supply several orders of provisions to
military bases in such a short period of time.
Also, the company has attended various
workshops offered by FeCC counselors,
where they have improved their abilities to
continue selling to the federal government.
“In the perspective of a small business
they transform a hard and complex
process in an easy and reachable one.”
Carlos J. Toro Sárraga, Vice President &
General Manager
Success Stories
Eden’s Creation
Eden’s Creation is a landscaping services provider.
They offer a full service approach enabling them to
respond to any landscaping need. They do new
installations, renovations & ongoing maintenance.
Eden’s Creations approach assures they deliver a
consistent, value-based service no matter what the
customer budget is. Eden’ staff is comprised of full-
time, highly qualified professionals experienced in
every aspect of the landscape industry.
Eden’s Creation was referred to the FeCC by the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to
receive assistance on how to sell to the federal
government. Mr. Obed Ortiz, President, visited the
FeCC to take advantage of the benefits of the
program. FeCC staff provided technical help to get
Eden’s Creation registered in the System for Award
Management (SAM). Rural Housing Services
expressed the need for ground maintenance
services to maintain repossessed houses they are in
charge of. Eden’s creation was chosen to sign a
Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with the USDA;
which is a simplified acquisition method that
government agencies use to fill anticipated
repetitive needs for supplies or services. The
company has been awarded $16,110 in federal
orders, during its first year selling to the federal
market.
“Excellent service! Thanks to the FeCC Staff the
idea of selling to the federal government
became a real business to my company. I could
not be more thankful for the service and their
commitment.”
Obed Ortiz, President
The Puerto Rico Federal Contracting Center relies on a great team of dedicated professionals, who are truly committed to support PRIDCO’s mission and the Puerto Rico’s local businesses needs at all times. As part of our ongoing commitment to exceed our customers expectations in a constantly changing environment of federal procurement standards and requirements, our agents participate in continuing education programs and seminars, and specialized courses. Our goal is to generate employment and improve the general economy of Puerto Rico by assisting business firms to obtain and perform under federal government contracts.
Our team
Federal Contracting Center
Amanda Blanco Reception desk
787.758.4747 x. 3181 [email protected]
Nildalisse Rodríguez Procurement Specialist
787.758.4747 x. 3179 [email protected]
Rey Torres Procurement Specialist
787.758.4747 x. 3180 [email protected]
Bárbara Rivera Procurement Specialist
787.758.4747 x. 3175 [email protected]
Pedro Acevedo Program Manager
787.758.4747 x. 3177 [email protected]
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Thank you
The FeCC team would like to take this opportunity to thank PRIDCO and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) for their partnership and support, year after year, and enabling the continuance of our program by making the services we provide to our clients possible. Also, we would like to extend our most sincere gratitude to PRIDCO employees, our team, and all coworkers and colleagues in every department that help us in so many ways and create an enjoyable and collaborative environment everyday. A special thank you to our clients and partners for trusting and allowing us to contribute to their businesses and entities in a professional and valuable way.
Visit our website: www.federalcontractingpr.com and follow us on
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