KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee system’s source of outreach to government, business and communities – the Institute for Public Service (IPS) – provided assistance in fiscal year 2016 that led to more than $1.2 billion in economic impact for Tennessee.
Through its five agencies, which provide training and technical consulting to state and local governments, businesses and law enforcement, IPS answered close to 30,000 requests for assistance in the last fiscal year. IPS agencies also trained more than 15,300 of its customers in everything from crime scene investigation to county and municipal government operations.
“Our employees are dedicated to the IPS mission of outreach in the public service sector, and that’s evident by the economic impact and training participant numbers we saw last year,” said IPS Vice President Dr. Herb Byrd III. “Thanks to the work of our Center for Industrial Services, many businesses across the state secured multi-million-dollar government contracts, which led to positive economic impacts for many counties across the state.”
Byrd is referring to the CIS Procurement Technical Assistance Center, which guides businesses through the government contracting process. Through the assistance of the consultants dedicated to this program, small and veteran-owned businesses secured more than $800 million in contracts last year. One example is a woman-owned Tennessee business that won a five-year contract, valued at more than $1 million a year, with the Department of the Defense.
Tags: Economic Impact, Featured, UT Institute for Public Service