Rhode Island General Laws Title 42. State Affairs and Government § 42-64-35. Government contract procurement assistance

(1) Many Rhode Island companies provide products and services which are routinely procured by a myriad of governmental entities. However, attempting to understand and comply with the numerous certification, registration, opportunity identification, proposal, and contract requirements associated with government procurement often raises significant barriers for those companies with no government contracting experience;

(2) The costs associated with obtaining a government contract for products or services often prevents most small businesses from working in the governmental procurement market;

(3) Currently many of the federal procurement opportunities are contracted to businesses located outside of the state;

(4) The commerce corporation currently administers programs and initiatives that help create and grow companies in Rhode Island and recruit companies to Rhode Island through the use of state employees, public-private partnerships, and contractual services; and

(5) There exists a significant opportunity for Rhode Island companies to secure new business with federal, state, and local governments.

(1) Shall manage and direct the administration of state programs and initiatives whose purpose is to procure federal, state, and local governmental contracts;

(2) May require program accountability measures; and

(3) May receive and distribute legislative appropriations and public and private grants for projects and programs that:

(1) Consultative meetings with Rhode Island companies;

(2) Seminars or training meetings held;

(3) Government contracts awarded to Rhode Island companies;

(4) Jobs created/retained; and

(5) Salary ranges of jobs created/retained.

(6) The return on investment/cost per job.