Government center now part of Montana West

Montana West Economic Development has been a resource for business success across the Flathead Valley, through loans programs and relocation assistance. 

Now it has one more service to offer its clients. At the beginning of the month, the company took in the region’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center, which helps businesses work with government projects and contracts. 

“We help businesses that think they want to work with the government and don’t know how to get started,” said Doug Bolender, the sole government contracting adviser at the procurement assistance chapter. “Or those that are already working with the government and need a little extra assistance. We help everybody.” 

The center is a cost- free program, supported by federal taxes, that assists businesses in understanding government contracts. 

Bolender has been working with the local chapter for over 15 years and has seen it transition through several companies that housed it. 

Before Montana West, the program was part of the Montana Community Development Program for three years. When the contract came up for renewal, Bolender said, the company decided to take its business in a different direction so Montana West had the opportunity to pick up the program. Bolender said he believes Montana West will be a good home for the program. 

“Montana West has always supported the Montana PTAC program,” he said. “I’m looking forward to be able to serve their clients as well as this community.” 

The program was established in 1985 in an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in the government marketplace. The government’s top priority at the time was to get the most up-to-date technology and equipment to the military. 

However, the government operates under strict regulations and rules and businesses often found it difficult to navigate the fields of paperwork and technical terminology. 

The program was a success at helping businesses deal with the military, so the program expanded to encompass all branches of the government, including military, state and federal government, tribal governments, and government programs.

“Most of what I do is assisting with the mounds of paperwork,” Bolender said. “We help them understand clauses, contract performance, to make sure they understand what they’re supposed to be doing and to make sure they get paid in a timely fashion.”

Bolender said that a contract or bid from a business will simply be thrown out if it is not completed properly, so most of his job is making sure the business understands the entire contract and fills out all paperwork completely.

The largest demand in Montana is work for the U.S. Forest Service, Bolender said. 

Government contracts include any type of job, from selling equipment to janitorial services done for a Forest Service building. The government branches want a middle man like PTAC in working with outside businesses to ensure there is no favoritism.  

The government uses a “reverse auction” style, where it accepts the lowest price a business “bids” for a job. Bolender said this is one way it tries to save taxpayer money. 

Another way has been the transition into the digital world. 

Before email or the Internet, the government would release a weekly newspaper-like publication that would contain all of the government contracts that were open that week. 

“Government contracts are generally only open for seven days,” Bolender said, “which created a problem. By the time you got the publication in the mail, the contracts were already a few days old.”

Now, contracts are posted on a website, www.fbo.gov, where businesses can respond right away.  

Any firm can do business with the government, although Bolender recommends companies have been in business for at least two years so they are established before tackling government contracts. 

According to Bolender, the government is always a good source of income for businesses, especially during hard economic times, because it will always have jobs that need to be done and businesses can be sure they will get paid. 

One local success story is Doctor Down in Polson. The company created the Rescue Wrap, an emergency transport device much like a down sleeping bag that keeps the injured person warm while being transported by emergency medical teams. 

The regional assistance center worked with the company to become government registered as well as navigate government requirements. 

In 2005, the Department of Defense bought over 1,500 Rescue Wraps, and has continued to purchase them. 

The region’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center covers Flathead, Sanders, Lincoln and Glacier counties. There are two other centers in the state — in Billings and Missoula — as well as part-time satellite offices in Butte, Hamilton, Ronan, Lewistown and Great Falls. There soon will be a full-time center in Bozeman. 

Bolender said he is excited about the new partnership. The most rewarding part of his job is getting to do something different every day. 

“I never know what the next thing I’m going to work on will be,” Bolender said. “It’s kind of fun.” 

For more information, go online to www.dobusinessinmontana.com or call Bolender at 257-7711. 

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.