NEEDA - National Emergency Equipment Dealers Association

Presented by the State of Ohio Security Task Force: OHIO HOMELAND SECURITY SYMPOSIUM and TRADE SHOW April 20-21, 2005.

Registration? www.responderseventgroup.com.

This event will be for first responders where more vendor products will be introduced at his event.

For answers to vendor questions, click on the headline of this NEEDA Newsletter article.

BALTIMORE ALL HAZARDS CONVENTION DEC 1-2 2004
Originally Posted: November 30, 2004 6:46 PM
Last Updated: November 30, 2004 6:46 PM

An All Hazards Forum Conference is taking place December 1-2, 2004 at the Baltimore MD Convention Center.

For a list of some of the exhibitors, click on the title of this NEEDA Newsletter article.

PRESIDENT BUSH TO SIGN BAN ON INTERNET TAXES
Originally Posted: November 30, 2004 5:50 PM
Last Updated: November 30, 2004 5:50 PM

By Kenton Pattie
NEEDA Executive Director

The US Senate bill to continue a national moritorium on taxing the internet was cleared for the White House 11/18/04 and will be signed by President George Bush.

The bill, known in the Senate as S. 150, extends until 2007 an existing ban on state taxing of the internet. However, the Senate bill leaves in place nine state laws which allow taxing of the internet. Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin are the nine which tax to the tune of $20 billion in state and local taxes on long distance services. Texas for examples calls its tax a "franchise fee" or more recently an "access line fee" but whatever the name nothing will change in Texas or in any of the other eight states.

The bill originated at the beginning of 2003 with introduction by Sen. George Allen (R-VA). The bill postpones but does not resolve the whole question: should the internet be taxed, and if so by local, state and Federal governments?

This is a subject that affects a lot of small businesses which can be expected to express their views during 2005 and thereafter as the buildup to the 2006-07 legislative year opens up the subject again.

CONGRESSIONAL FIRE SERVICES INSTITUTE (CFSI) HOLDS 17th ANNUAL DINNER AT WASHINGTON HILTON THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2005
Originally Posted: November 29, 2004 12:18 PM
Last Updated: November 29, 2004 12:18 PM

The Congressional Fire Services Institute, dedicated to educating Members of Congress on fire and life safety, is holding its 17th National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner and Seminars at the Washington Hilton April 7th, 2005. Attendance: 2000.

The National Emergency Equipment Dealers Association (NEEDA) will be among those organizations having tables for its members at this important event. To contact NEEDA to sit at the NEEDA table: KentonP1@aol.com

MORE INFO? www.cfsi.org, or Alex Bryant 202 371 1277 abryant@cfsi.org

EMERGENCY VEHICLE TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION FORMS IN NEVADA: SEEKS $300 FROM SPONSOR MEMBERS
Originally Posted: November 29, 2004 12:12 PM
Last Updated: November 29, 2004 12:12 PM

A new organization has been formed: The Emergency Vehicle Technicians Association (EVTA) "to provide a voice for emergency vehicle technicians."

The organization plans officers in 2005, a membership newsletter, member and non-member website, developing standardized forms to aid technicians in their job responsibilities, and a national educational curriculum for technicians. EVTA is seeking $300 sponsors.

NEEDA President James "Pat" Griffin, American Fire Equipment, Woodbridge VA, said: "We welcome EVTA and we wish them every success as an organization dedicated to technicians. Our technicians are vital to this business and to every fire and emergency response department in the nation. They need training, information and deserve a voice in the development of and maintenance of vehicles and equipment. There has been a serious gap in representation for technicians and NEEDA has advocated filling this gap. We certainly hope EVTA succeeds and we look forward to working with them."

MORE INFO? Darlene Craven,Interim Executive Director, 9732 State Route 445, PMB 351, Sparks, NV 89436 775 425 6100

JAN 16-19 '05 APPARATUS SYMPOSIUM, ORLANDO
Originally Posted: November 29, 2004 11:57 AM
Last Updated: November 29, 2004 11:57 AM

The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) invites companies to participate in the January 16-19, 2005 apparatus symposium at the Rosen Plaza Hotel, 9700 International Drive, Orlando FL.

During the event the Incident Safety Officers-Fire Suppression Certification Exam will be administered on Jan 16, 2005.

Deadline is December 17, 2004: Attendance 400. There will be company literature display around the symposium at the cost of $200. EDSOA says "Each vendor company is allotted one-half of an eight-foot table for the display of their literature."

MORE INFO? www.fdsoa.org, 508 881 3114 or fdsoa@fdsoa.org
or PO Box 149 Ashland MA 01721-0149

FIRE CHIEF SETS OWN OFFICE ON FIRE: FACES 5-20 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON, TO BE SENTENCED MARCH 1, 2005
Originally Posted: November 27, 2004 9:10 AM
Last Updated: November 27, 2004 9:12 AM

Henning Fire Department Chief John Allen Laton, 49 was found guilty following a jury trial for the crime of Arson; he was convicted of setting fire to his own office.

He faces a sentence of 5-20 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal prison system. Federal officials said no fire department should have an arsonist running it.

Laton also worked as a fire investigator for Engineering and Fire Investigations, a national company that provides fire investigative services for insurance companies and other private sector clients.

The pivotal point of the fire investigation was that the fire was intentionally set in the fire chief's office by using an accelerant. A time-delay ignition system was found as evidence in Laton's office, hidden under a couch. This ignition system utilized a bag of charcoal and gasoline as an accelerant. ATF Agents were able to trace the charcoal as being purchased by Laton the same day of the fire. Furthermore, a witness identified Laton being at the fire station two hours before the fire started.

A Federal search warrant was obtained for Laton's home, truck and person by on March 13, 2000. Subsequent to the search, investigators recovered a receipt reflecting the purchase of a programmable timer and gasoline on the same day of the fire.

Laton was indicted by a federal grand jury September 18, 2001.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Webber prosecuted the case in Memphis TN.

Laton was convicted for violating Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 844(i)- Maliciously destroying by fire or explosives, any building or vehicle or other real or personal property used in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce.

SOUTH CAROLINA EMS SYMPOSIUM IN MYRTLE BEACH
Originally Posted: November 24, 2004 12:48 PM
Last Updated: November 29, 2004 12:21 PM

The South Carolina EMS Network invites NEEDA members to the 2005 South Carolina Emergency Medical Services EMS Annual Symposium,Myrtle Beach Convention Center. The symposium will have exhibits and a vehicle exhibit area in the exhibit hall.

STUDY OF ACCIDENTS AFFECTING FIRST RESPONDERS EN ROUTE TO AND FROM INCIDENT
Originally Posted: November 19, 2004 10:42 AM
Last Updated: November 19, 2004 10:42 AM

The United States Fire Administration (USFA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration, and the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) are conducting research and development of technical guidance and training programs for fire and emergency service providers in Traffic Incident Management Systems (TIMS).

"Implementing an effective Traffic Incident Management System could have an impact on reducing the number of firefighters killed by being struck by vehicles while performing emergency operations," said Michael D. Brown, Homeland Security Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response. Brown spoke recently at the National Press Club in Washington DC.

R. David Paulison, U.S. Fire Administrator, said reducing the number of firefighters struck while operating on the roadway is an important initiative in supporting the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Firefighter Line of Duty Death (LODD) Prevention Effort.

MARYLAND COMPANY OFFERS INTEROPERABLE COMMUNCIATIONS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, WINS 04 FROST AND SULLIVAN AWARD
Originally Posted: November 18, 2004 2:05 PM
Last Updated: November 18, 2004 2:05 PM

ARINC Incorporated (Annapolis MD) has won the 2004 U.S. Technology Innovation Award from leading consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. The award cites ARINC's innovative AWINS(TM) technology, that allows public safety agencies to communicate locally or nationwide, even if they use radio and phone systems that are not compatible.

The system uses readily available translation software and standard electronic field boxes of the type widely used to interconnect portable radio equipment.

Public safety agencies can interconnect with AWINS without new infrastructure or hardware. AWINS connections can be installed on police, fire, and government radio systems to provide always-on connectivity.

The Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation is given annually to the company that has demonstrated technological superiority within the industry. It recognizes the ability of the company to successfully develop and introduce new technology, formulate a well-designed product family, and make significant product performance contributions. Frost & Sullivan tracks emerging and existing technologies and R&D, and considers product launches, customer acceptance, penetration rates, and time to market.

ARIZONA HOLDS EMERGENCY RESPONSE DRILL NOV 17, 2004
Originally Posted: November 17, 2004 5:26 PM
Last Updated: November 17, 2004 5:26 PM

The Vanguard Group will host a comprehensive, four-hour emergency response exercise with the City of Scottsdale AZ on November 17, 2004.

Frank Kolimago, Principal of Vanguard's Scottsdale offices: "Such exercises are an invaluable means of giving Vanguard, Vanguard crew members, and the city of Scottsdale a true understanding of our capacity to protect our crew and the integrity of the business in a large-scale disaster or security event."

The Vanguard Group, headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, is a mutual fund firm and a provider of company-sponsored retirement plan services. Vanguard manages $765 billion in U.S. mutual fund assets, including nearly $240 billion in employer-sponsored retirement plans. Vanguard offers 128 funds to U.S. investors and more than 40 additional funds in foreign markets.

NEW HAMPSHIRE GETS $960,000 GRANT FOR FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION
Originally Posted: November 17, 2004 5:16 PM
Last Updated: November 17, 2004 5:16 PM

PRIMEDIA Workplace Learning is using a $960,000 grant from the New Hampshire Department of Justice to maintain their state wide first responder training and communication network "Homeland One".

Homeland One will apply the awarded $960,000 equally to each of the 607 participating emergency responder agencies in New Hampshire, extending each site's service for an additional seven months at no charge to the individual agency. The sites are comprised of law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services agencies.

Homeland One, a division of PRIMEDIA Workplace Learning, unites first responders through a training and communications network. Homeland One helps state and local emergency managers improve command and control and instill public confidence and is standardizes first responder training allowing agencies to communicate during an emergency.

FIRST RESPONDERS GET HELP IN RESPONDING TO RELEASE OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS: TEAM MEMBER IN ALL 67 PA COUNTIES
Originally Posted: November 17, 2004 5:05 PM
Last Updated: November 17, 2004 5:05 PM

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and Department of Environmental Protection officials in Harrisburg PA are training 36 private-sector health physicists to be part of the Pennsylvania Radiological Assistance Program (PaRAP) Team to provide on-scene advice to first-responders in case of radioactive materials are released.

The goal is to have one PaRAP Team member in each of the state's 67 counties. All PaRAP Team members will be highly qualified people from the private sector. Once a team member has completed training and has been added to the home county emergency responder list, he or she will receive identification to permit access to emergency sites.

The goal is to have one PaRAP Team member in each of the state's 67 counties. All PaRAP Team members will be highly qualified people from the private sector. Once a team member has completed training and has been added to the home county emergency responder list, he or she will receive identification to permit access to emergency sites.

To find out what else is going on in Pennsylvania emergency response, use the "Search" function in the upper right of your NEEDA Newsletter screen.

FEDERAL FUNDS HELP SMALL BUSINESSES HIT BY HURRICANES AND FLOODS
Originally Posted: November 15, 2004 10:29 PM
Last Updated: November 15, 2004 10:29 PM

The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued $554 million in low-interest disaster loans to about 17,825 residents and business owners in the areas affected by the late-summer 04 deadly hurricanes and floods.

During the six weeks after Hurricane Charley's devastating landfall in Florida on August 13, 2004 an unprecedented three more hurricanes and the storms that followed caused flooding and property loss to 14 other states, Puerto Rico, and Florida again. About 1,500 SBA employees are working in 76 disaster recovery centers in the disaster areas. Almost one million disaster loan applications have been issued to residents and business owners in the affected areas.

For the full story, click on the headline above.

157 FIRE DEPARTMENTS WIN FIRE ACT GRANTS: $11.4 MILLION RELEASED BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Originally Posted: November 15, 2004 11:52 AM
Last Updated: November 15, 2004 11:52 AM

Fire Act Grants totalling 157 to fire departments are part of the twenty-first round of the Fiscal Year 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The grants will ultimately total approximately 8,000 awards worth nearly $750 million in direct assistance to firefighters throughout the country.

This twenty-first round of grants provides $11,358,715 to help local fire departments purchase firefighting equipment, fund firefighter health and safety programs, enhance emergency medical services programs, and conduct fire education and prevention programs.

OHIO TRADE SHOW FOR STATE AND LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS AND GOVERNMENT DECISION MAKERS
Originally Posted: November 15, 2004 11:40 AM
Last Updated: November 15, 2004 11:40 AM

The State of Ohio Security Task Force is holding the 2005 Ohio Homeland Security Symposium and Trade Show will be held in the spacious North Exhibition Hall at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial Event Complex in downtown Columbus on April 20-21, 2005. All first responders and others involved in various aspects of homeland security throughout Ohio are invited to attend.

Trade Show Hours:
Wednesday, April 20 10:30am - 4:00pm and Thursday, April 21 9:00am - 2:00pm.

MORE INFO? 800 563 9537

NINE PA FIRE DEPARTMENTS GET MATCHING FEDERAL FIRE ACT GRANTS FROM O4 FUND; 05 APPROPRIATIONS WERE CUT $100 MILLION
Originally Posted: November 9, 2004 1:16 PM
Last Updated: November 9, 2004 1:16 PM

Nine fire companies received a total of $556,000 in Federal matching grants Pennsylvania. State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann said.

The Tuckahoe Volunteer Fire Company, in Northumberland County, will receive $112,500 for a firefighting vehicle.

In Pennsylvania, 1,778 fire departments applied for grant money. Authorized by the federal Fire Act, the program allocated $750 million this year in direct assistance in support of the nation's firefighters and the services they deliver. The fund will be cut by Congress and the Bush Administration to $650 in 05. To date, Pennsylvania has received more than $26 million during the 2004 fiscal year in federal fire grant money.

For a list of the PA fire departments receiving these matching grants, click on the headline above. For other NEEDA stories on the Fire Act grant program, use the "Search" function in the upper right of your screen.

WHEN YOUR FORMER EMPLOYEES COMPETE UNFAIRLY WITH YOU
Originally Posted: November 9, 2004 12:20 PM
Last Updated: November 9, 2004 12:20 PM

by Kenton Pattie
Executive Director
National Emergency Equipment Dealers Association

Your key fire and emergency equipment salesperson could walk out of the door at any time. Dealers often ask NEEDA about non-compete agreements, designed to stop Mr.-Hit-the-Road-Jack from taking valuable customer and product information from you and using it to compete with you by starting his or her own firm or by going to work for your competitor.

The problem with non-compete agreements is that they are often one-sided, which discourges courts from taking them seriously. Some states do a good job supporting non-compete agreements and thus tilt toward the side of the employer. In other states, the agreements are viewed skeptically and are not generally enforced by the states.

Rather than a boiler-plate type agreement, consider an agreement that spells out exactly what your new employee will be doing for you, including the territory they will cover, the products and customers they will be responsible for, and the databases they will have company permission to access and use. Then state as a condition for employment the employee, upon leaving your firm agrees not to work in the same territory, not to sell the same products to the same customers you serve and will not copy or in any other way use the specific databases you made available.

Further, your non-compete with your new employee needs to have some clear evidence that you and the new employee reached an agreement on this point -- that it was not just another paper shoved in front of the employee for signature without serious discussion about the intent and implications.

Finally, your non-compete agreement, once negotiated with the new employee should include evidence that you gave something in return for the employee giving up a future career avenue. For example, you might offer a one-time payment or an annual lump sum payment to the employee with a specific cover letter saying that "this sum is in consideration for paragraph x in our employment agreement stipulating that you would not do the following things in event you were to leave this firm."

Sometimes, non-compete agreements are lost either by the employee or by the employer. After ten years with a dealership, it is not surprising that original employment papers may be misplaced or destroyed. So, it is clearly in the interests of both parties to save these documents.

As an owner, you know so well that your salepeople believe that each customer is theirs, that they worked hard to cultivate this customer and thus they should have the right to contact that person and sell to them wherever they work in the future. You may be forced to seek an injunction from a court prohibiting a former employee from seeing your customers. So, the groundwork for this injuction has to be built into the non-compete agreement.

Former employees will argue that they had a customer before they came to work for you and they deserve to keep that customer after they leave. Sometimes, former employees win in court on this argument. But, as dealer-owner, you can cover this problem in your non-compete agreement: negotiate a clause in the agreement that establishes a period of months before a former employee can contact one of your customers. For example, after a year you will have been able to field a new salesperson for that territory and you will have a new and solid relationship with that customer. So after the twelve months has expired, it probably won't hurt you much if the former employee is competing with you.

What you are after in a non-compete agreement is to
eliminate unfair competition not all competition. Afterall, we are in the free enterprise marketplace and we support and want to preserve full and open competition. But, through such things as non-compete agreements, we seek to ensure that all competition is fair and that no one unfairly takes from your company the proprietary skills, knowledge and contacts you paid for them to acquire and uses these assets to beat you in the marketplace.

Of course, it is possible a former employee may offer to buy out their non-compete agreement. This could be another provision in your negotiated agreement with your new employee: a buy out provision in which they can call on your customers for a specific sum. For example, if you think they could do $5,000 or $10,000 worth of net sales damage to you in the specific territory that is mentioned in the non-compete agreement, you could include in the agreement that at any time the employee can buy out this specific non-compete provision. You might welcome the funds if you have great confidence that if ever the employee leaves you can take over that territorypromptly without missing a beat.

MARYLAND COMPANY INSTALLS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS IN COLORADO
Originally Posted: November 9, 2004 11:19 AM
Last Updated: November 9, 2004 11:19 AM

CompuDyne Corporation (Annapolis, MD) has installed a $3.3 million integrated Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), Records Management System (RMS) and Corrections Management System (CMS) for the city of Ft. Collins and Larimer County, CO. CompuDyne's Public Safety & Justice unit, Tiburon, provides automated public safety and justice systems for law enforcement, fire and rescue, corrections and justice. Ft. Collins is located north of Denver on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.

Tiburon is responsible for the RMS systems in city of Longmont and Jefferson County, CO as well as a Records Management and Corrections Management system in nearby Boulder County. A Tiburon system has been in use in Greeley/Weld County, Colorado since 1995.

The CAD system helps police, sheriff's department, fire and emergency dispatchers to respond to and manage 911 calls. Each dispatch position is equipped with a dynamic map that continuously displays the location of units and incidents.

CALIFORNIA BEACH COMMUNITY APPOINTS NEW FIRE LEADER
Originally Posted: November 8, 2004 5:42 PM
Last Updated: November 8, 2004 5:42 PM

Dismas Abelman, currently a Division Chief for the Coronado Fire Department, has been named second in command of the City of Solana Beach CA Public Safety/Fire Department. Solana Beach is located in North San Diego County, faces the Pacific Ocean, and is a popular surfing, cycling, and running recreation destination.

Abelman will serve as the Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Del Mar under a joint fire management services agreement between the Cities of Del Mar and Solana Beach. Abelman's education includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration, an Associate of Science Degree in Fire Science, and maintains a recent Chief Officer Certification. Abelman will begin his new appointment in mid-November.

US FIRE ADMINISTRATION USES HIGH RES IMAGERY BY PICTOMETRY
Originally Posted: November 8, 2004 10:55 AM
Last Updated: November 8, 2004 10:55 AM

Pictometry International Corp., (Rochester NY) software and high-resolution imagery are included in an executive level, fire training course at the United States Fire Administration's training facility in Emmitsburg, MD. Pictometry is a provider of a georeferenced system, with digital aerial oblique and orthogonal images.

Pictometry International provides visual intelligence information systems. The company's imaging process captures georeferenced, high-resolution oblique (at an angle - natural view) and orthogonal (straight down) digital images of counties and states. Combined with the company's interactive software solution, users can see everywhere, measure anything, and plan everything. Pictometry is a second order visualization tool that does not produce authoritative or definitive information (surveying) from its aerial images. The company's customer base includes a growing list of county, state, and federal government organizations as well as private business users. Applications include 9-1-1, appraisers, assessors, planning officials, GIS, transportation, law enforcement, homeland security, fire departments, insurance, real estate, engineering, and utilities.

SEVEN MILLION IN 50-50 US MATCHING GRANTS TO FIRE DEPARTMENTS
Originally Posted: November 5, 2004 5:15 PM
Last Updated: November 5, 2004 5:15 PM

More grants to fire departments throughout the United States in the twentieth round of the Fiscal Year 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The 112 new matching grants will be among 8,000 awards worth nearly $750 million in direct assistance to firefighters throughout the country.

This twentieth round of grants provides $7,927,347 to help local fire departments purchase firefighting equipment, fund firefighter health and safety programs, enhance emergency medical services programs, and conduct fire education and prevention programs.

The Fire Grant program has been cut by the Bush Administration and Congress by $100 million for 2005. The funds mentioned above are from the 2004 appropriations. The 2005 appropriation will only amount to $650 million compared to $750 million this year.

US SHOWS OFF SMARTRUCK III IN LAS VEGAS: CAN BE USED IN HOMELAND SECURITY
Originally Posted: November 3, 2004 10:53 AM
Last Updated: November 3, 2004 10:53 AM

If you are not in Las Vegas this week, youll miss the US governments new SmarTruck III which is on display at the 2004 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show (Las Vegas, NV) November 2-5, 2004.

SmarTruck III can be configured to support any homeland security missions, including disaster relief, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) efforts and military support to civil authority. For Homeland Security, SmarTruck III is configured to monitor bio threats and personnel movements.

SmarTruck III has a mass-produced cab and a 4.5-liter V-6 24-valve diesel engine with twin sequential turbochargers. Its lowered frame makes it possible to load the vehicle onto a C130 military transport plane. The vehicle has a full suite of electronics, including the most advanced communications, detection and weapon systems to be deployed in a vehicle-based mobile unit. SmarTruck III's hardtop, retractable roof opens to deploy a .50 Calibre gun that is part of the Weapons System Module.

A special Kidde Dual Spectrum Advanced Fire Support System (AFSS) can sense an explosion or fire on board and suppress the explosive fire within milliseconds, thereby preventing harm to the occupants and reducing fire damage to the equipment. For example, the basic "Dual Spectrum" sensing system monitors and responds to any penetration of either a fuel tank or a hydraulic line, which can often result in casualties and mission failure.

The unit includes a Bio-agent Acquisition System, which can acquire particulate samples from intake air and distinguish bio-aerosols from dust and other non-biological material, therefore detecting bio threats while the mobile unit remains secured from penetration. The Identify Friend or Foe system utilizes broadband infrared emitters in a 360-degree array that cannot be seen by enemy image intensifiers but can be detected by standard U.S. night vision systems.

Housed on the roof of SmarTruck III, a ducted fan Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is capable of vertical takeoff and landing and high-speed horizontal flight to offer a low cost surveillance option. The UAV may carry a variety of payloads including cameras or Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) sensors for air quality sampling.

The base vehicle for SmarTruck III is an International V-6 powered Crew Cab, 4200 series on a medium-duty platform. The exterior of SmarTruck III features substantial modifications to reflect design elements of a military vehicle. The truck will be fitted with an air suspension to achieve adjustable ride height and a hydraulic launch assist to multiply the rate of acceleration. Its generator system provides 8.5 kW of continuous power and serves as the primary power source for all add-on vehicle technologies.

SmarTruck comes to us via United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's (TARDEC) National Automotive Center (NAC), in conjunction with HEART International, Integrated Concepts & Research Corporation (ICRC) and International Truck and Engine Corporation.

NEEDA has inquired about the price basis for this vehicle and the distribution system when provided to state and local governments interested in local Homeland Security projects.

BASIC INFO TO HELP DEALERS SELL TO FEDERAL AGENCIES
Originally Posted: November 1, 2004 1:33 PM
Last Updated: November 1, 2004 1:35 PM

Twenty three percent of all Federal contract awards go to small businesses. Small firms are also sought as subcontractors by large firms that win Federal contracts. Large firms are, as a general rule, those with over 500 employees.

Ninety percent of the products and services the Federal government buys are below the $25,000 threshold. But if you are interested in information about purchases above $25,000 to www.fedbixopps.gov where you can find out what the government is buying and from whom.

Obviously, selling to the Federal government is complicated and time consuming. If you want the whole story, click on the headlines of this report.For more info, just click on the headline