St. Paul – Northwestern Minnesota businesses looking to grow their businesses with state and federal agencies will get an opportunity to learn more about becoming a government contractor at two events on September 12 & 13 in Moorhead and Bemidji.

The Minnesota Department of Administration's Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), the Office of Equity in Procurement (OEP) and representatives from state agencies around Minnesota will present information about procurement and contracting needs, and will be available for questions.

Topics will include:

Introduction to Government Contracting – General overview of all levels of governement contracting, what to expect, where to look for opportunities, as well as available certifications. It will also cover:

• how to get a vendor ID number;
• registering to recieve notices of state bids and contracting opportunites;
• how to register in the federal government's acquisition system; and
• the elements that should be included on capabilities statements and business cards, and business etiquette for email addresses.

Doing Business with the State/State Certifications – Learn how Minnesota is working to improve opportunities for small businesses throughout the state, the new online small business certification portal, the benefits of certification, and more.

Schedule

Moorhead: September 12, 2018 | 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm (sign-in starts at 12:00 pm), Concordia College Offutt School of Business (1310 8th St. S, Moorhead, MN 56562). Register here.

Bemidji: September 13, 2018 | 8:30 am – 12:00 pm (sign-in starts at 8:00 am), Northwest Minnesota Foundation (201 3rd St. NW, Bemidji, MN 56601). Register here.

Office of Equity in Procurement Vendor Kiosk

The Office of Equity in Procurement Vendor Kiosk is available to assist vendors with a variety of tasks, including: registering for a Minnesota Vendor ID number in the Supplier Portal; selecting the appropriate category codes for your vendor profile; helping vendors learn how to do business with the state; searching for state solicitations; downloading solicitation materials; submitting bid responses; answering questions about the Targeted Group/Economically Disadvantaged/Veteran-Owned (TG/ED/VO) small business program; preliminary review of TG/ED/VO certification application materials; and referral to appropriate small business and equity resources.

Walk-in Hours: Mondays (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) | Thursdays (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
Location: 112 Administration Building, 50 Sherburne Ave. St. Paul, MN 55155
Additional hours available by appointment. For more information, please call (651) 201-2402.

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For additional information, please contact:
Curt Yoakum, Assistant Commissioner
(651) 201-2771
curtis.yoakum@state.mn.us