Victory in Procurement Contract Connections & Teaming

The state of Florida spent roughly $410 million[1] with certified small, minority, women and service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs from 2010 to 2011, while the federal government awarded nearly $100 billion[2] in federal contracts to small businesses in FY 2010. With Florida consistently making the top 10 states for government contracting, government contracting presents a significant growth opportunity for Florida small businesses.

To help business owners get on the path to winning contracts, American Express OPEN is hosting a free event in Miami on Wednesday, May 9. The event, VIP Contract Connections & Teaming, will be held at the InterContinental Hotel-Doral from 8am to 5pm.

Attending business owners will have access to:

• VIP Contract Connections: one-on-one meeting with federal, state and local government buyers and large prime contractors – matches are based on small business’ capabilities and agencies/primes’ requirements
• Interactive workshops to give business owners the tools they need to succeed in government contracting – including federal contracting do’s & don’ts; teaming best practices; learning how to contract with the military; forecasted opportunities in construction and professional services industries; and much more
• A day of insights from government officials, procurement officers and experienced small business contractors
• Networking opportunities with other small business owners
• Keynote speeches by government officials and experts

According to a survey from American Express OPEN, small businesses are working harder to secure government contracting opportunities – in 2010, active small business contractors invested an average of $103,827 seeking federal contracting opportunities, an increase of 21% from the previous year.  VIP Contract Connections & Teaming gives attendees the connections and resources they need to land government contracts.  At a 2011 VIP Contract Connections session, a local business owner walked away from the event with a contract from the U.S. Department of Interior.