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Schedule a Meeting with Your Counselor

Procurement Counselors are passionate about helping clients navigate the complexities of government contracting but find a good chunk of their counseling sessions are lost opportunities to help clients due to avoidable technology challenges. Counselor’s schedules are often booked 30-60 days in advance and, like any professional service provider, it is important that the limited time you have with your counselor is productive. In that spirit, we ask that clients be prepared to attend their meetings by taking some basic precautions to avoid rescheduling. This list will help you prepare, even if many items seem obvious. We understand entrepreneurs are busy people so prefer to be explicit in our expectations:

• Attend your virtual meeting on a computer and NOT a mobile device. If in person, bring your laptop and charger with you so to navigate the appropriate website/portals. Attempting to attend a counseling session by phone only or from a vehicle will result in wasted time and a rescheduled meeting and may be considered a no-show. Review counseling policies here: https://virginiaptac.org/services/counseling/counseling-policies/
• Update your Zoom or MS Teams software and be ready to join at the time of your meeting.
• Understand how to share your screen on the chosen meeting platform and practice how to do it in advance if you have not used that platform before.
• Choose a quiet location so you can focus on the meeting with your counselor.
• Strong internet is essential so your screenshare and audio quality are not impacted.
• Gather your passwords and be able to login to the websites in question based on your counselor’s advance guidance (SAM.gov (login.gov), eVA login, or other system).
• Gather documents (your counselor will advise you which ones to have ready) and have your them in PDF form on your computer for easy access/upload. Some examples of common documents you may need include:
  • Operating Agreement, Articles of Organization from the SCC
  • Bylaws, Stock Certificate, Stock Ledger
  • Additional documents vary depending on the certification
• Review the Before You Start guide here: https://virginiaptac.org/beforeyoustart/