Corporations, Government Agencies Work to Foster Collaboration with Small, New Businesses
Expanding relationships with other enterprises and federal agencies and providing cutting-edge services can help small, minority and women-owned businesses obtain procurement agreements with large companies and agencies, telecom and government executives said. Working groups and training and mentoring programs were developed at some corporations and in the government to support small businesses and entrepreneurs and to produce a diverse list of prospective vendors for entities to do business with, they said Tuesday at a supplier diversity conference at the FCC.
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The unprecedented global explosion of technologies requires finding the best talent from all sectors of society, said Ronald Johnson, a member of the FCC’s Diversity Committee. The market entry barriers working group is helping to figure out how to help bring in new small businesses by sharing procurement best practices, he said. Funding for businesses and a professional network are some major barriers for new business owners, said Thomas Reed, director of the FCC Office of Communications Business Opportunities. Access to capital and access to business relationships “can serve as the lifeblood and launching pad for a successful new business,” he said.
Some government staffers urged prospective business owners to take steps to understand the procurement needs of an agency. To work with the Defense Department, “you should do the detective work to find out and narrow down which parts of the department buy whatever you sell,” said Linda Oliver, deputy director of the DOD Office of Small Business Programs. Business owners must be registered in the central contractor registration database, and doing pre-investigative work makes a big difference, she said. Entrepreneurs must know their business thoroughly, said Angela Washington, program analyst at the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency. “Assess your strengths and your true expertise,” she said. “If you specifically provide telecom services, make sure you identified the appropriate requirements with the appropriate services.” The department facilitates about $4 billion annually in procurement and finance transactions, she said.
The Department of Transportation wants to work with small businesses so they get an opportunity to participate, said Leonardo San Roman, small business specialist in the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization’s Procurement Assistance Division. “We can help connect you with other agencies if we don’t buy what you sell."
Some corporations established programs to generate participation and collaboration with small businesses, executives said during a later panel. At Verizon, the small businesses are the diverse businesses, said Mariano Legaz, supply chain services vice president. “At the end of the day what we're really looking for is a diverse supply base that is going to give us the competitive advantage.” AT&T launched Operation Hand Salute, which helps identify service-disabled veteran businesses, said Stephanie Bates, small business programs senior manager. “We decided to put in place a mentoring program for service-disabled business owners … to give them exposure to AT&T leadership and introduce them to our products.”