Billions and billions and billions of dollars.

That’s how much federal, state and local governments spend on private sector contractors each and every year.

And it’s not just products or materials. It’s services, too. Someone has to cut the lawn over at the courthouse or fix the water heater down at the state park campground.

So, how does a local business get in on this massive pot of gold? It’s not easy. There are a ton of rules, regulations and idiosyncrasies when it comes to government bidding. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you might end up spinning your wheels.

Fortunately, there’s a program right here in northern Michigan that exists specifically to help businesses navigate this system and secure government cheese. The best part? It’s offered at no cost to the businesses themselves.

The Northwest Michigan Apex Accelerator, housed at Networks Northwest, is one of nearly 100 Apex Accelerators in the country (and one of 10 in Michigan). These accelerators help local businesses learn about and secure government contracts of all sorts, and the numbers are staggering.

In the last fiscal year alone, the local office helped 250 area businesses secure about $152 million in contracts. The 10 Michigan offices combined to help 3,420 businesses land $2.2 billion in contracts.

First off, the accelerators help local businesses find and match with various government contracts. Virtually any business can find something, program leaders say, but government contracting isn’t even on the radar for many decision-makers.

“We’d like to get the word out, because there's a lot of companies out there that aren't currently doing business with the government that could be,” says Marco Barberini, director of the local Apex Accelerator. “There's very few times that businesses will come to us and we won't find contracts.”

Then, they provide assistance in actually applying for/bidding on these contracts. This is where it really pays to have an expert in your corner.

“There’s an incredible amount of regulations in government contracting, and that's really where we can help,” Barberini says. “Our team has decades of experience in this, so we can really break those down and help businesses understand and make that process of getting into the government marketplace easier.”

The Apex Accelerator has repeat clients who are plugged into the system, and there are many benefits of doing so.

“We have a bid match service that we offer for no cost to our clients that will set a profile up based on their business, and then every day [the system is] going out and looking at thousands of bid boards across the country,” Barberini says. “If something matches up, they'll get an email.”

The program is offered at no cost to businesses because it's funded by the government (primarily the U.S. Department of Defense), which wants to get as many bidders as possible.

“If we increase the number of businesses in the government marketplace, that increases competition, and that ultimately is going to lower the cost to the taxpayer because they're going to be getting a better value,” Barberini says.

And while the DoD provides the bulk of funding, Apex leaders stress that they can help with far more than military contracts.

“We don’t just focus on defense. We actually probably do more with other agencies like the USDA, park service or forest service,” Barberini said. “It’s federal, state and local governments, but also public universities, public hospitals, public-owned utilities – basically any government contracting at any level.”

Networks Northwest CEO Janie McNabb says many businesses use government contracting to expand or to replace other segments of business that have dried up. She’s happy to have the Apex Accelerator housed at Networks Northwest, which provides a variety of programs and services throughout the 10 counties in northwest lower Michigan as well as the Upper Peninsula.

“It’s really about making sure our companies are strong, providing good jobs, not facing downturns or finding their different markets when they may be facing downturns,” she says. “It's an excellent fit for what we do.”

Plus, she says, it just makes sense. Government dollars are a huge resource that isn’t going away any time soon.

“The government is always going to need to buy things in order to operate,” she says. “It’s always going to be there.”

Bill Arnold is director of business development and planning at Great Lakes Environmental Center, a Traverse City-based, employee-owned company that provides a wide range of environmental testing and surveying services. About three quarters of GLEC’s business is now with the federal government, and they’ve been working with the local Apex Accelerator for more than 20 years.

Arnold says the accelerator has been “essential to our prospecting and business development” over the years. There are other services that do what the Apex Accelerator does, Arnold says, but not for free.

“We have multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts with the feds, but we have to stay on top of what's happening in the competitive landscape and be ready when they roll over for rebid,” Arnold says. “So it’s a real bonus for us to have these people available to help (at no cost to us).”

Diane Arnold is the new(ish) owner of Neuco Furniture and Upholstery, a Traverse City business that serves clients across the country. She’s a new client of the Apex Accelerator, having heard about them from another contact not long after buying Neuco.

Neuco ended up securing a contract with the U.S. Air Force to provide new office furniture for a base. It’s the first of what Arnold expects to be several government contracts for Neuco, and she’s very grateful for the accelerator.

“I couldn’t have done it without them, and I still continue to not be able to do it without them,” she says. “There are all kinds of issues when you're doing these. Your password only lasts you so long. There's multiple platforms. There's different ways that you get paid. And none of it is easy … to have someone who is an expert in it is absolutely invaluable.”

Editor's Note: This story is from the June Traverse City Business News (The Ticker's sister publication). Check out the June edition for much more. Photo: McNabb and Barberini.