Pappas, Salazar Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Local Businesses

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), a member of the House Committee Small Business Committee, and Congresswoman Maria Salazar (FL-27) announced the introduction of the COLLABORATE Act, legislation to improve the coordination of technical assistance to businesses seeking government contracts. This legislation would implement recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Department of Defense (DOD) to improve the contracting process, and brings best practices already utilized by the New Hampshire Small Business Development Council (SBDC) and New Hampshire Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) / APEX Accelerator nationwide to support small businesses. 

“New Hampshire manufacturers and small businesses benefit significantly from the close working relationship between our SBDC and PTAC/APEX Accelerator,” said Congressman Pappas. “Their success ought to be a model for all states, and our legislation to improve coordination nationwide between these important programs will help ensure that more government contracts are awarded to local businesses, strengthening our supply chain and helping create good-paying jobs here at home.”

“The local SBDC and PTAC offices in Miami have been crucial partners with small businesses for years,” said Congresswoman Salazar. “I am happy to help lead on this important legislation that will improve coordination and lead to more small contractors having the opportunity to participate in the federal procurement process.” 

“Businesses seeking government contracts often require specialized assistance to navigate the contracting process,” said Liz Gray, NH SBDC State Director. “New Hampshire’s SBDC and PTAC/APEX Accelerator have a strong history of successfully collaborating to assist small businesses throughout this process, and we’re glad to see Congressman Pappas lead on this issue to improve the process nationwide. By helping small businesses better navigate this process, these reforms will support local workers, businesses and economies.”

“New Hampshire's manufacturing industry gets an enormous boost from companies that successfully win federal contracts,” said Dave Pease, NH PTAC/APEX Accelerator Program Manager. “By working closely together with our partners in state we ensure local businesses get appropriate guidance and support in navigating the multi-faceted procurement process, boosting their chances of winning these contracts. Expanding these practices will ensure that for years to come, businesses nationwide benefit from close coordination between APEX Accelerators and SBDC.”

“Delivering well-coordinated support to our businesses and manufacturers has the potential to drive expansive growth in the aerospace and defense industry in New Hampshire,” said William Bates, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Aerospace and Defense Consortium. “Innovation and entrepreneurship in these fields can boost our economy. NHADEC applauds this effort to ensure local A&D businesses have better access to the resources they need to improve the procurement process.”

This legislation is also supported by the Women Veterans Business Coalition and the HUBZone Contractors National Council.

“Coordination of government resources is crucial for women and veteran-owned small businesses to succeed in the federal market. We applaud the introduction of this important legislation,” said Laurie Sayles, Chair of the Women Veterans Business Coalition.

“HUBZone companies utilize SBA resource partners throughout the acquisition process. Given that HUBZone companies are located in underserved communities, the coordination of SBA and DoD resources is critical to their success,” said Michelle Burnett, Executive Director of the HUBZone Contractors National Council.