Small Business

by Ian M. Berkowitz

If you are a regular reader of this column, you are well aware of the benefits of government contracting. In addition, many times over the course of the last few years, I have also written about the many government contracting targeted programs for women, minorities, veterans, disabled, and HubZone businesses that bring benefits such as limiting competition and preferential pricing for small businesses.

However, what you always need to remember is that business is done between people and such is the case even in the world of government contracting.

Just like your sales approach to the private sector or the retail market, success in the government contracting marketplace requires you to market, sell and get to know the government customer, who is the agency, its end users and procurement officers.

Often, getting to know them and them you, may require you to email them, get on the phone with them or even initiate direct contact by seeing them in person.

Road Warrior

One of my most successful government contracting clients has told me that he has logged in over one million miles in the last four years traveling to conferences, conventions, military bases and other government facilities in order to meet current and potential clients and promote his company and their services. However, some of us cannot become that road warrior overnight or at all.

Thanks to the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE and Hewlett Packard for operating the Business Matchmaking Program in order to provide small business owners a way to reach out to government procurement officers, large government prime contractors and major corporations in an easier, less costly and less time consuming method.

In addition to the lead organizers, there are also many major sponsors who are part of this great government initiative. In 2007, co-sponsors included companies such as Aflac, American Airlines, FedEx, The Latino Coalition, Lockheed Martin, Prepaid Legal Services, National Merchant Center and The Veterans Corporation.

The SBA has stated that the purpose of this program is to match small businesses with government buyers and large government contractors who possess contract opportunities for products and services offered by small, growing companies and to create relationships for future contracts.

Level Field

Additionally, the program’s main goal is to level the playing field for those businesses that cannot take advantage of government opportunities because they are not in the government contracting scene on a day-to-day basis or located in Washington, D.C., where much of the government procurement activity takes place.

The Business Matchmaking Program combines education and counseling by expert small business advisors and topic specific experts with networking and face-to-face procurement appointments through regional events.

In addition to these day programs, there is a online network offering education tools such as the Virtual Business Matchmaking Workshop, monthly educational webinars, important downloads and links and in select circumstances, small business owners can even select access to buyers from government agencies and major corporations. This is real, and there are hundreds of success stories that have been generated in its few short years of existence.

This program has finally brought an extensive network of cooperative, participating procurement representatives from every federal agency as well as state and local governments and major corporations working together to assist small businesses participate in the government contracting process.

In addition, there is now a list available to small business owners listing hundreds of organizations whose procurement representatives regularly support the Business Matchmaking program through their participation and active contract awards.

The program is going into its fifth year and since inception, it has matched small business sellers with procurement representative buyers in nearly 50,000 appointments resulting in almost one billion dollars in awarded contracts through these face-to-face meetings.

You too, for one full day, can take advantage of this opportunity to meet with contracting officers and prime contractors from all over the country and pitch them on the benefits of having you in their Rolodex. As you are making plans for your success in 2008, find the dates for the upcoming programs by going online to www.businessmatchmaking.com and make your plans to attend this overwhelmingly positive and highly beneficial event.

I almost forgot, it’s all for free.

Ian M. Berkowitz is a former attorney/advisor with the United States Small Business Administration in Washington D.C. During his tenure with the Federal Government he specifically worked in the areas of disaster relief for homeowners and businesses and government contracting. He is currently a practicing business and real estate attorney in Boca Raton. In addition to his law degree, Ian also holds a Masters Degree in Government from The John Hopkins University.