COF Archives

U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA)

The Air Force Academy Mission is to educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers of character, motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation.

Participating In:

Purchasing/Contracting Needs

Representatives:

James William “Bill” Wolski, Director of Small Business Programs

Mr. James Wolski entered Civil Service in November 2012 in his current position as the USAF Academy’s Director of Small Business Programs. Prior to joining USAFA he worked in industry and served the Missile Defense Agency as Special Advisor to the Director of Contracting, Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center, Colorado Springs, CO. In his current position, he is responsible for total planning and direction of USAFA and the 10th ABW/SB programs, which include Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Woman Owned Business (WOB), Small Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (VOSB), HUBZone, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) programs. The position also serves as a liaison between USAFA and the Secretary of the Air Force Small Business (SAF/SB), congress, other federal agencies, state and local governments and organizations, major defense contractors, and industry in general on all aspects as they relate to small business programs and advocacy. He retired from the Air Force in 2009 as the Superintendent of Base Contracting, 21 CONS, Peterson Air Force Base, after serving 20 years of service.

Mr. Wolski is married to the former Terrie J. Kirste from Tulsa, Oklahoma and has been married for 34 years.

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U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, NCO 19

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The Veterans Healthcare Administrations (VHA) mission is, Buying for those who secured our freedom. Our vision is Reshaping the acquisition function through customers and industry partnering, resulting in effective and innovative use of contracting policy, procedures, and processes; recognized among the best in federal government. We value Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence (I-CARE). Network Contracting Office (NCO) 19 supports America’s largest Veteran health care network. We manage annual expenditures of more than $350 million dollars. NCO 19 provides oversight for the purchase and distribution of: pharmaceuticals, medical and operational supplies, prosthetics, high-tech medical equipment, minor construction, and other critical patient care items.

Participating In:

Purchasing/Contracting Needs

Need veteran, women owned contractors and small busines contractors in Construction, Landscaping, Building Management, Janitorial, Housekeeping, air and automotive ambulence services and other services (NOT IT or Staffing)
Current top spend NAICS: 236220, 561320, 339112 & 339113, 334516, 621511, 334517

Representatives:

Tamanica (Tica) Danford-Leaf

Tica has been in the acquisition industry for 30 years. She is an Air Force Veteran and was an Inventory Management Specialist while on active duty. Tica joined the Veterans Healthcare Administration in 2010 as a purchasing agent in the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center’s Prosthetics Department. In 2015 she moved into contracting and became a contracting officer in 2017. In 2019 Tica became the Network Contracting Office Small Business Specialist.

John Cheng, Contract Specialist

I am currently a Contract Specialist for a Service Branch team for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration Network Contracting Office 19 since 2019. I am a former US Army Logistics Officer, and in the private sector worked for various companies like Kraft-Heinz, Tempur-Sealy, and BAND-IT before joining the VA. I am also a husband and father of 2 young children.

John Cheng, Contracting Officer, Construction Team 2

Robyn Young has been a Government Contracting Professional for 14 years. Ms. Young’s current position is as a contracting officer with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, specializing in Construction Contracting.

Prior to working for the VA, Ms. Young spent 27 years working for the Wyoming National Guard in Various capacities, including as an Army Bandsman, Military Pay Specialist, Counterdrug Education Specialist, Criminal Intelligence Analyst, and as a Contracting Officer.

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City of Boulder

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The City of Boulder works collaboratively with many public- and private-sector partners, including the Boulder Small Business Development Center (SBDC), to support a healthy, accessible, resilient, and sustainable economy that benefits all residents, businesses, and visitors. Key strategies include supporting small businesses and promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunity while preserving community character and quality of life. For more information about the city’s efforts and available resources for businesses, visit BoulderColorado.gov.

Participating In:

Purchasing/Contracting Needs

Construction

Construction projects contracted by the City of Boulder are primarily concentrated in the areas of transportation, utilities infrastructure, and facilities.

Transportation projects often involve funding from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and can range from paving projects to underpass construction to rebuild of an intersection. Our utilities construction projects generally involve repair and rehabilitation of our water and wastewater infrastructure. Utilities projects typically involve rebuild/replacement of our water distribution network and equipment upgrades at our water and wastewater processing facilities. Construction projects managed by our Facilities team can involve modest remodeling projects to construction of entirely new facilities that have been years in the planning and design process. On occasion, we will contract for new or refurbishment of amenities in our parks and open space infrastructure. Subcontract opportunities on the larger projects may exist, with these awards typically made by the general contractor.

Consulting

Potential consulting opportunities with the City of Boulder can vary significantly. Technical consulting on a variety of engineering projects is common. The City will generally contract with firms that have already been selected as qualified via a formal solicitation process. Consulting work related to business processes, social programs, and municipal operations are relatively frequent. The value associated with these engagements can vary significantly.

Facilities Services

The City will regularly contract with a variety of standard facility services and will often use existing, renewable agreements that were part of a solicitation process. Given the scope of our facility footprint, it is common for a service to be needed that is not covered under an existing contract that would result in the need for a new company to fill the need.

NAICS Codes

541330 ENGINEERING SERVICES
237310 HIGHWAY, STREET, AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
237110 WATER AND SEWER LINE AND RELATED STRUCTURES CONSTRUCTION
237990 OTHER HEAVY AND CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION
524210 INSURANCE AGENCIES AND BROKERAGES
2213 WATER, SEWAGE AND OTHER SYSTEMS
524292 THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATION OF INSURANCE AND PENSION FUNDS
561591 CONVENTATION AND VISITORS BUREAUS
562910 REMEDIATION SERVICES
423430 COMPUTER AND COMPUTER PERIPHERAL EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE MERCHANT WHOLESALERS
238110 POURED CONCRETE FOUNDATION AND STRUCTURE CONTRACTORS
23 CONSTRUCTION
561720 JANITORIAL SERVICES
238220 PLUMBING, HEATING, AND AIR-CONDITIONING CONTRACTORS
236220 COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
624190 OTHER INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY SERVICES
524114 DIRECT HEALTH AND MEDICAL INSURANCE CARRIERS
561730 LANDSCAPING SERVICES
327320 READY-MIX CONCRETE MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTING
541310 ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES
238210 ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS AND OTHER WIRING INSTALLATION CONTRACTORS
518210 COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDERS, DATA PROCESSING, HOSTING, AND RELATED SERVICES
541511 CUSTOM COMPUTER PROGRAMMING SERVICES
522110 COMMERCIAL BANKING
5415 COMPUTER SYSTEMS DESIGN AND RELATED SERVICES

Representatives:

Ken Kasparek, Senior Procurement Buyer

Ken Kasparek has worked in procurement for over 20 years in manufacturing and with the City of Boulder. Ken feels that adherence to procurement policies ensures a compliant environment that is open to all vendors. Ken also believes that by expanding the vendor base we can gain new insights and direction for the City of Boulder. By showing how to work with the City of Boulder we can have the best chance at expanding the vendor base.

Dave Bannon, Purchasing Manager

Dave Bannon has been in procurement, contracting, and supply chain roles his entire career in healthcare, medical device, and now with the City of Boulder, Colorado. Dave believes procurement can make a positive impact on any organization through professional management of purchase of goods and services that align with a clear strategic vision. Dave believes good suppliers are a valuable extension of any business and make significant contributions to a high performing organization.

Mayor Aaron Brockett

Aaron Brockett attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania where he majored in Music and met his wife-to-be Cherry Anderson. Aaron and Cherry moved to Boulder in 2003. They’ve raised their two children in North Boulder and ran a small software development firm together for 20 years. After serving for 5 years on the city’s Planning Board, Aaron was first elected to the city council in 2015, was re-elected in 2019, and became mayor in November of 2021. He served for 6 years on the Denver Regional Council of Governments and is currently a member of the Boulder Racial Equity Guiding Coalition, the Metro Mayors Caucus, the Northwest Mayors and Commissioners Coalition and numerous other committees. In his time on city council he has focused on climate change, housing, transportation, social justice, and how to make Boulder a more just, equitable, and inclusive city.

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NASA TechPort

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TechPort showcases NASA’s portfolio of active and completed technology projects. TechPort gathers technology investment information from across the Agency into a single location in order to facilitate opportunities for collaboration and partnerships, analyses of how the Agency is meeting mission needs, and data visualizations of technology drivers that enable key decisions. TechPort provides key insights into technologies that have been and are currently being developed by the Agency, as well as the Agency’s technology capability gaps that define the envisioned future of NASA technology development.

Participating In:

Purchasing/Contracting Needs

We are interested in speaking with companies that conduct applied research and experimental technology development.

334511 – Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing

Representatives:

Ryan J. Miller

Ryan Miller is the lead architect for the NASA technology portfolio management system, TechPort, which he has supported since the project began in 2011. Ryan has supported NASA for over 14 years, providing support for a wide variety of risk and knowledge management, information technology, technology management, and enterprise architecture projects. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Mary Washington. Ryan currently resides in Austin, TX with his wife and two children.

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NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP)

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The mission of the NASA Office of Small Business Programs is to promote and integrate small businesses into the industrial base of contractors and subcontractors that support the future of space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.

Small Businesses are the backbone of the American economy and play a very critical role in propelling our nation forward into a new space age. Hundreds of small businesses have contributed to some of NASA’s most premier space exploration missions, from the Space Launch System (SLS) to the James Webb Space Telescope. Small Businesses not only support science and technology tasks across a wide range of disciplines, but many also provide critical program management functions that keep our projects within budget and on schedule.

NASA’s Office of Small Business Programs primary mission since its inception has been to increase the representation of small businesses in NASA’s contracting efforts. Our efforts encompass all federally recognized socio-economic small business categories and we work hard to make sure each type of business gets a fair chance to work with NASA.

Participating In:

Purchasing/Contracting Needs

Representatives:

Richard Mann, Program Manager

Mr. Mann joined the NASA HQ Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) as a Small Business Program Manager in March 2009. Currently, Mr. Mann is the Program Manager for Marshall Space Flight Center, Stennis Space Center, NASA Shared Services Center, Langley Research Center and the IT Procurement Office. . He also has OSBP responsibility for small business prime and subcontracting goaling and metrics (FPDS-NG and eSRS). From 2003–2009, Mr. Mann worked in various roles at NASA John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, including Contracting Officer, Procurement Analyst, and Small Business Specialist. He has also been a Contracting Officer for the Defense Logistics Agency/Defense Energy Support Center and for the US Agency for International Development. Mr. Mann is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM), has an MBA with a concentration in Contracting from the Florida Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University.

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