Since 1987, the Northwest Louisiana APEX Accelerator (formerly the Northwest Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center) has played a vital role in the economic growth and development of Northwest Louisiana by assisting small, disadvantaged, woman, minority, and veteran owned businesses. The primary mission of the NWLA APEX is to increase the number of government contract dollars being awar
ded to businesses located in our region of the state, thereby creating and retaining jobs in the area. The NWLA APEX clients reported $117 million dollars in contract award dollars in 2020. Through our network of government allies and procurement databases, we provide value-added counseling to clients on almost any area of government contracting. This APEX Accelerator is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U. Department of Defense with offices inside the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce. We provide government contracting assistance to small businesses in the Parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, and Webster. Our APEX provides federal, state and local bid matching opportunities from sources such as the Federal Business Opportunities, LAPAC, as well as state and local government solicitations. We have at our client’s disposal a complete library of Federal Procurement Histories and Department of Defense Issued Standards and Specifications. Additional areas of government contracting assistance include identification of potential markets, assistance with SBA applications or other small business registrations and certifications, bid package review and assistance, registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), as well as Wide Area Workflow (WAWF/iRAPT) training and invoice support. The NWLA APEX educates clients on contract administration procedures on an individual basis, and provides training seminars on how to sell to the government. Specialized counseling is available in the areas of marketing, subcontracting assistance, packaging requirements, contract negotiation strategies, technology transfer, and much more. The NWLA APEX also assists business owners by locating current opportunities through the Bid Match Program, a program designed to electronically search government procurement websites daily for business prospects that match the NWLA APEX client’s products and services. These notices are then emailed to business owners each day keeping them current on upcoming solicitations to bid.
