Provided by Prince William Chamber of Commerce
The U.S. government awards 23% of its contracts to small businesses. To be compliant, large contractors and local, state and federal government agencies meet with small business to establish a potentially lucrative connection that can lead to landing a contract. The MATCHMAKER is one of the programs organized by the Prince William Chamber’s Government Contracting Council. They host two per year in addition to six Government Contract Breakfasts.
Suzanne Lewis is the Director of Community Outreach for the Prince William Chamber; she oversees most of the committees and councils, including Government Contracting. She said, “the large contractors and government agencies consistently say that networking is everything–especially when it comes to landing prime contracting opportunities.”
Jan. 10 MATCHMAKER
During the Prince William Chamber’s Government Contracting MATCHMAKER held on Jan. 10, small business owners representing a variety of industries did just that by meeting face-to-face during 10 minute interviews with prime contractors and federal agencies. They learned about contracting and subcontracting opportunities and made key connections with the gate-keepers and other small business owners.
The large contractors and agencies that participated in the Jan. 10 Matchmaker include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Zeiders Enterprises, The Boeing Company, Deloitte, Defense Health Agency, Marine Corps Systems Command, Dominion Energy, OmniRide, Prince William County Purchasing Division, and the City of Manassas Office of Procurement.
Some had specific capabilities that they were seeking, while others were anxious to meet with any small business since the government literally buys everything. The small businesses who attended included graphic designers, specialists in information technology, cyber security, construction, banking, communications, human resources, marketing, to name a few. They networked among themselves and took advantage of this opportunity to navigate and get a foot in the door in landing a contract.
The Next MATCHMAKER
Representatives from large companies who attended enthusiastically asked for an invitation to the next MATCHMAKER, as did representatives from companies unable to attend this time. This commitment is tribute to the quality of the small businesses in our region. The next Prince William Chamber MATCHMAKER will be held June 27.