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Since 1991, PORTCO has worked to create long-term, meaningful employment for people with disabilities.
For years, that meant focusing on important but limited service areas permitted by the AbilityOne Program: janitorial services, grounds maintenance, and base operations. But that changed in January 2024.
Organization
PORTCO, a nonprofit creating long-term, meaningful jobs for people with disabilities and disabled veterans
Challenge
Expand employment for disabled veterans by connecting them to federal contracts in new service areas through the AbilityOne Program
Strategy
Use GovTribe to find high-potential opportunities, vet experienced mentor partners, and time outreach around agency behavior and contract cycles
Results
Established 11 mentor-protégé agreements through SourceAmerica’s new program, opening long-term, no-recompete federal contracts that create sustainable careers
Small policy change, big idea
01 / The idea
When the U.S. AbilityOne Commission released Policy 51.403, allowing nonprofits to include wounded warriors and service-disabled veterans in their AbilityOne workforce, PORTCO saw a chance to connect the dots.
Veterans
Looking for meaningful work
Represented by groups like Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled American Veterans.
Federal agencies
Looking to fill contracts
In fields like IT support, cybersecurity, and drone operations, which match many veterans’ skills.
Experienced contractors
Looking for an eligible partner
They had the technical expertise, but needed a nonprofit partner eligible under AbilityOne.
PORTCO brought them all together, linking veteran organizations to experienced federal contractors, largely through the SourceAmerica Mentor-Protégé Program, and connecting those partnerships to real contract opportunities.
“They had the work, we had the workforce. It was like bringing together chocolate and peanut butter. The challenge was finding the right opportunities and the right partners. That’s where GovTribe came in.”
Ralph Wahlberg, SEVP of Business Development, PORTCO
Using GovTribe every day
02 / The strategy
According to Wahlberg, GovTribe helped turn the idea into reality.
“I’m in and out of GovTribe every day. It’s so easy to use, I didn’t need any training. The mentor-protégé program changed the game for us, and GovTribe definitely helped us play it.”
Here’s how they use it:
1
Spotting the right opportunities
Searching by NAICS code to find labor-heavy federal contract areas that fit AbilityOne guidelines, like IT support, help desks, and drone services.
2
Vetting potential mentors
Cross-referencing the SBA’s mentor-protégé list with GovTribe vendor profiles to see which contractors are active, in the right space, and a good fit.
3
Tracking agency patterns
Seeing which agencies have a history of awarding contracts in relevant NAICS codes, and which are worth the outreach.
4
Timing outreach
Finding when existing contracts expire, then planning backward to line up the right mentor, proposal, and workforce for the AbilityOne Procurement List.
5
Learning from others
Studying past mentor-protégé relationships and their contract activity over time to see what works.
“Tracking contracts is one thing. Knowing how to make them work in the real world, that’s different. GovTribe doesn’t just show us what’s out there. It helps us see the full picture and figure out how to win.”
Turning an idea into a movement
03 / The results
To date, PORTCO has established 11 mentor-protégé agreements through SourceAmerica’s new program. These partnerships have opened the door to contract work for disabled veterans in:
IT modernization Call center operations Drones and UAS Cybersecurity Firefighting and emergency services
Many of these contracts are long-term, no-recompete awards, providing career stability for workers and long-range value for contracting partners.
Now, PORTCO is mentoring other nonprofits and encouraging more federal contractors to join the program. With a growing pipeline of veteran talent and more mentor partnerships in development, the model is proving both scalable and repeatable.
Watch how PORTCO teams with large businesses to create jobs through the Mentor-Protégé Program.
“We’re not just winning contracts, we’re changing lives.”
Ralph Wahlberg, SEVP of Business Development, PORTCO
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About PORTCO
PORTCO is a nonprofit that has created long-term, meaningful employment for people with disabilities since 1991. Through the AbilityOne Program and SourceAmerica’s Mentor-Protégé Program, it now partners with federal contractors to bring disabled veterans into careers in IT, call centers, drone operations, cybersecurity, and emergency services.
About GovTribe
GovTribe is your AI-powered govcon assistant. Built by former government contractors and backed by GovExec, GovTribe brings market intelligence, capture tools, and AI together to help teams find the right opportunities, understand the players, and keep work moving across federal, state, and local markets.