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Transcript

Valerie Fuller (Intro): 

You’re tuned in to the Clayton Connected Podcast in Clayton County, where the world lands and opportunities take off. 

Valerie (cont.):  

Good day and welcome to the Clayton connected Podcast in the studio with me today is none other than District 4 Commissioner Demont Davis. Welcome! 

Commissioner DeMont Davis:  

Thank you! 

Valerie:  

Also in the Clayton connected podcast studio is Central Services Compliance Manager Tammy McKenzie.  

Tammy McKenzie:  

Hello! Thank you! 

Valerie:  

So welcome to the Clayton connected podcast. I think this is the first time I’ve had both of you in here at the same time so I know you have some good information for our residents.  Today we’re talking Information Technology Industry Day. What is it? And why is it important?   

Commissioner Davis:  

Well, we really want to begin to get our citizens involved from a business perspective.  We have many citizens that own their own businesses and we want to show them how to do business with Clayton County as well as the world as you know, is switching and going technology for many many different industries; medical, communication, engineering and we want to be primed to accept it but also wake up and prime these vendors to come in to begin to service us. 

Valerie:  

So this is not the first type of event that you’ve had that references businesses and getting information out to these businesses for support and information to the residents.  You’ve also done some other events talk about those too. 

Commissioner Davis:  

Right. We’ve done women in construction where we want to get those women that have construction firms involved.  We’ve done nonprofits and how to get involved. So we, we try to keep these going on a regular basis  

 

Valerie:  

So Ms. Tammy, let’s share the information, you are representing central services.   What is Central Services and how and what role do you play in the Information Technology Industry Day in events like this? 

Tammy:  

Well Central Services is the main purchasing hub for the county and so not only do we process all of the procurement functions for the county; contracts, administration and monitoring.  In contract compliance is where I sit; we monitor all the compliance for the county contracts.  We also are very vendor facing. So my division also registers vendors to do business with the county.  We also certify businesses through our Small Local Business Program and we also encourage them to further develop through our Mentor Protégé Program as well.  And so we will also talk about those things at the Industry Day as they really do align with the purpose that the event is for. 

Valerie:  

So when we talk about this Information Technology Industry Day, how can people who are interested or businesses who are interested register?  

Tammy:  

They can register at tinyurl.com\techindustryday. They can also reach out to us at Central Services at 770-477-3587 to get more information. 

Valerie:  

We also have the information posted at claytoncountyga.gov and you can always follow us on all of the social media channels as well as our website.  So let’s get into the information that these participants will actually engage in we know that you’re going to talk about how to do business with Clayton County.  What does that mean?  

Tammy:  

Well in order to do business with Clayton County, there’s a certain processing guidelines.  So we will actually tell them first how to register as a vendor because that’s very important.  Registering as a vendor with Clayton County puts them on our database, which is a searchable database.  So any department within Clayton County are able to go into that database and search out particular commodities for services and products.  So that’s first and foremost and it’s also the payment system; so if they’re under contract that is how they get paid. Secondly, we will discuss how to access bids and proposals because that is where they will find all of their opportunities. BidNet Direct is where we post majority of our contract opportunities as well as our website and so we will instruct them on how to do that.  We will also give them information on what we look for as vendors to be successful in some of those opportunities.  And then we will also discuss, which is in alignment with the Industry Day, our Mentor Protege Program.  Our fifth cohort would be for information technology firms so we will be discussing that as we are currently now seeking mentors and protégé.  

 

Valerie:  

So, lots of information and lots of opportunities, I want to stress that.  I want to go back to the vendor portal because we have current vendors that are in the system and you’re gonna talk about how to get registered as a vendor.  Is there any information or updates or things that vendors who are currently in the system should do and keep in mind too as they move throughout the year and as they do business with Clayton County. 

Tammy:  

Once they are registered in the system, they’re active, once they’re made active.  But they just need to make sure that their information is current in the system so they need to log in regularly if anything should change. Make sure that they have a current W-9 form that’s uploaded into the portal and so, when we mean current, we mean the most current published IRS form, so not the signature date.  So just make sure that if there’s any changes in those things that they update that in the portal.  

Valerie:  

So, Commissioner Davis, you will also be there on hand for this event? 

Commissioner Davis:  

I will be there on hand.  You know, Central Services does a fabulous job at moving forward and getting folks into the system and processing, as far as payment goes, keeping them up to date and keeping them current. My thought is IT, information technology, covers such a vast, wide range from everything from social media all the way through to database development to cyber security.  We ask Clayton County to look at us as a business; we’re always looking for providers to come in to do something from a outsourcing standpoint, facilitating product delivery computers IT systems, even things such as, you know, putting in fiber optics, putting in cabling into some of our buildings. These are necessary services that we need and those are services that we’re going to outsource to begin to bring in.  We’re not going to do it with folks on staff and so that’s why I want to begin to introduce these smaller firms and companies to say look, there’s opportunity here for you and it’s not like 30,20,30 years ago where it was very difficult to get in. 

Valerie:  

Right.  

Commissioner Davis:  

Let’s get you in and you have a government that’s friendly to bring you in and wants to see you succeed here in Clayton County. 

Valerie:  

And to that point That’s why the mentorship program is so important, right?   

 

 

Tammy:  

Absolutely.  This gives them the opportunity to, if they are a protégé, to actually engage with a mentor who has, you know, a wealth of knowledge and experience and can help them to build capacities, can help them to build their experience engaging bids and proposals where they may not been able to do that before and they also have the opportunity to maybe do a quote-unquote job shadowing to see what active projects may look like. And so being a mentor and protege in that particular program is very very important and we really do a stress the importance of firms who are in the industry mentoring as well.  The mentors really are the backbone because without, and they’re the driving force because without mentors we can’t have a program.  So, seeking mentors and having someone business is willing to give back to a smaller business is really important. 

Commissioner Davis:  

But, but also Valerie, let me also add.  The other part of this is to begin to network with folks of like minds within the industry. 

Valerie:  

Absolutely. 

Commissioner Davis:  

It’s to come in to say look we’re going to begin to drive you all so that you meet each other; so that when there’s a possible, when there’s a chance for you to partner with somebody on a project, to enhance the probability of you getting that bit you have everything necessary to do.  

Tammy:  

Absolutely.  

Valerie:  

So, you have very thorough process we want people to understand what that Central Service process is when it comes to purchasing but also how to do business within Clayton County.  And who are some of the network participants that will be there?  

Tammy:  

We will have Govantez Lowndes.  He is the Director, Area Director at Small Business Development Center at Clayton State and he will be discussing some of the important resources not only within Clayton County, but within the region that’s industry related.  So, they, he will be able to give some great information on that.  Then we will also have our Chief Information Technology Officer who will be speaking on the current needs for the county.  And so this is a great opportunity for anyone in attendance to be able to ask questions and then also be able to network with the professionals that are there.  

Valerie:   

And again, that URL to register is tinyurl.com\techindustryday Yes, and then one other thing I wanted to mention, Commissioner Davis, you mentioned something about the medical corridor. 

Commissioner Davis:  

Correct.  We, it’s been a couple years. I’ve had this thought of creating a medical, medical technology corridor.  What does that do?  Think of it like Silicon Valley except on the medical, medical industry side so we could begin to try to attract a lot of your smaller startup companies to come in to set up shop here.  Cyber is blowing up, chip technology is on the rise as well as a lot of other your artificial intelligence industries as well and we want to give those folks an opportunity to come in set up shop and begin to build products here and utilize folks from here as far as job creation.  I think that’s going down a 19/41 corridor in the hospital region.  I believe that is an untapped market that we can get in on the brand, on the steps of it and begin to make a real progress and make real progression here in Clayton County.  You know, as well as we want to give folks the opportunity as well.  We have a new incubator… 

Valerie:  

Right 

 Commissioner Davis:  

… that we are developing as well.  And hopefully that will be up in next several months where we give those folks an opportunity to incubate and grow into where they can become a brick-and-mortar shop, but I think the medical, medical tech corridor and couple that with us being a medical desert. It begins to give us a lot of grand opportunity. 

Valerie:  

Absolutely. So, thank you Commissioner Davis for joining us on the Clayton connected podcast as well as you Ms. McKenzie.  We welcome you back anytime.  You can find more information out about the Information Technology Industry Day on claytoncountyga.gov website and is there a phone number to contact?  

Tammy:  

Yes  770-477-3587. 

Valerie:  

See you next time on the Clayton connected Podcast. 

Valerie:  

I’m your hostess Valerie Fuller.  Thank you for listening to the Clayton connected podcast in Clayton County, Georgia where the world lands and opportunities take off!