Contact: James Rivera, 503-896-5082
March 02, 2012
An education and networking event designed to help small businesses learn more about federal contracting opportunities will take place Wednesday, March 7, from 8:00 a.m. to noon in the Aceh Room at Mercy Corps, 45 SW Ankeny, Portland, Oregon.
The event is sponsored by the Powering Up! Small Business Teams Project, a partnership among the Portland Development Commission, Mercy Corps NW, Metropolitan Contractor Improvement Partnership and ASTRA Women’s Business Alliance. The Project has received a Small Business Administration pilot grant to engage more small businesses, including those owned by minorities and women, in federal contracting. The grant is designed to help small businesses to develop teams that will allow them to better compete for larger federal contract opportunities.
James Rivera, Powering Up! Small Business Teams Project Director, said, “We are developing innovative strategies to help small businesses compete for larger federal contracts. This effort will increase the strength and effectiveness of these firms and create jobs for Oregon and Washington.”
The March 7 event is the Powering Up! Small Business Teams Project’s first outreach and education offering. The agenda includes an overview of the project, presentations about the basic requirements for federal contracting, and an opportunity for attendees to connect with key area federal prime contractors, including Johnson Controls, Stantec, Skanska and Howard S. Wright, as well as federal procurement officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior and other agencies.
“This project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA’s funding should not be construed as an endorsement of any products, opinions, or services. All SBA-funded projects are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.”
