Questions answered about WT Industry Innovators program

Since we announced our Washington Technology Industry Innovators program last week, I’ve received several questions about the program that I wanted to answer here and I’ll also add these to our FAQ page as well.

The WT Industry Innovators program will honor companies that have transformed themselves to be more innovative in how they serve their customers. The online application asks companies to describe what they have done and how it has impacted their business.

The most common question I’ve received has been about seeing the entire form in a single view. The application takes up several pages in SurveyMonkey. We picked that set up so that each of the parameters we are measuring stand out. But from the questions and comments that I’ve received, I see a value in being able to review the application as a whole as you prepare your responses.

So you can now download the entire application as a PDF that you can use to study and prepare your response. Download the PDF here.

However, please only use the online form to submit your final application.

Another question came from one company that wanted to know if they could submit any graphics to help support their application. They felt that graphics would reinforce the narrative in their application.

And I said, OK. So if you have supporting documents that you’d like to send, please send them to me: nwakemanATwashingtontechnology.com. Make sure you have WT Industry Innovator in the subject line. In your online application refer to specific supporting documents.

For example, if you are describing a new service or process, say something like, “As you can see in Chart 1…” And then make sure that Chart 1 is labeled as Chart 1. You want to make sure that it is easy to connect the narrative in your application to any supplemental materials you submit.

One company asked me if the information had to be government-related. It does. However, I explained to them that it is OK if the customer is another company that company needs to be supporting the government. So if you are a subcontractor or service provider to a prime contractor, you should feel free to apply. Just remember the ultimate customer should be the government.

I also received one question about if here was a fee that needs to be paid. Answer: No. There is no charge.

Reaction to the program has been positive, so we feel good that we are going to have a strong set of companies to evaluate.

Again, please let me know if you have any questions. Remember the deadline is Aug. 17.