KAT Industries, Inc. Receives $153k Contract From U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK--(Marketwired - February 15, 2016) -  KAT Industries, Inc., an Oklahoma City-based fabrication shop, has received a contract valued at $153,698 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide processed steel.

This U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract is the first contract KAT Industries has received since completing its System for Award Management (SAM) Registration in 2015, but KAT Industries, Inc. Controller Jeremy Ice believes that now that his company has landed its first contract, others will follow.

"It's nice to have one under our belts," he said. "I think it will help us be more confident in how we bid on future opportunities."

KAT Industries provides a full suite of services, including fabricating and rigging up oil rigs, retrofitting existing rigs with top drives and skidding systems, fabricating mud systems, unitizing mud pumps, and fabricating any drilling rig components including houses, tanks, water tanks, fuel tanks, and engine packages.

Ice said that KAT Industries, Inc. turned to government contracting when it decided to diversify from providing oil industry-related services and become a custom manufacturing company that can provide services to any industry. It also launched several product lines, and is still the go-to place in Oklahoma City for processed steel. 

"We can convert raw steel into a multitude of products and deliver an absolutely finished painted product," said Ice.

Ice credits US Federal Contractor Registration, the world's largest third-party government registration firm, and his acquisition specialist, Marianne Swager, for working with him and his company and making sure they were successfully registered, had the information they needed, and had answers to their questions when they asked them.

"Marianne was very informative and available when we needed to speak with her directly," Ice said. "She was very helpful."

Swager said that it's not unusual for companies to wait between six and 12 months after completing their SAM Registration to win a government contract, though she's worked with clients who receive contracts days after their Registration is complete.

"It all depends on what contracts are available, how aggressive the company is, and how much work they want to put in. A lot of companies think that all they need to do is register, and then the contracts will just start to happen, but it doesn't work like that," said Swager. "Companies have to market their business and stay on top of available opportunities. That's what KAT Industries did, and it paid off for it."

Eric Knellinger, president of US Federal Contractor Registration, echoed Swager's comments. He added that there's money to be made contracting with the federal government, as long as a company is willing to work and also willing to learn from unsuccessful bids -- which Ice said KAT Industries did, when it missed out on two earlier opportunities.

"You can learn as much from losing out on a contract as you can from winning one," said Knellinger. "You learn what does and doesn't work, and you can then refine your strategy. Eventually, just like KAT Industries did this week, you'll win your first contract, and then you'll win your second contract, and in no time, you will be the go-to company in your specific industry. I'm just so happy for Jeremy and everyone at KAT Industries. They worked hard to get this contract, and they deserve it."

About US Federal Contractor Registration

US Federal Contractor Registration is the world's largest third-party registration firm. It helps business owners register to do business with the federal government; build a proper profile in the following systems: (8a, GSA, DSBS, System for Award Management, HubZone, WOSB, EDWOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB, DAPA, and the Simplified Acquisition Program); and market that profile to the federal government. US Federal Contractor Registration is a platinum rated D&B rated company. It has completed more than 65,000 federal registrations for federal contractors, nonprofits, state and local agencies, and even for the U.S. government.