Recently in the Procurement Category

With the WOSB Program in place, it's time to finally meet the 5% WOSB Goal.  WIPP Members are a vital part of that success.    From the new WOSB Opportunity Watch to the member-driven OSDBU Outreach Program, you now have more opportunities to connect with agencies to ensure the contracting success of women in business.  When you sign on to the WOSB Opportunity Watch, you will receive a weekly update on the most current WOSB set-asides, and be able to find other WOSB Bidders on contracts that could be set aside with 2 or more WOSB Bidders.  Meanwhile, WIPP's OSBU Outreach Liaisons are already meeting with agency small business advocates.  Our Liaisons are on a mission to find out what opportunities are around the corner and asking the agencies how WIPP can help them make sure that the WOSB Federal Contract Program is a success.

Click Here for details and to sign up for the WOSB Opportunity Watch or become a WIPP OSDBU Liaison.

Even if you're not a federal contractor, there are many lessons to be learned from the 11-year struggle to make the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program a reality.  It is, among many other things, a lesson in perseverance, finding your voice, and the importance of having a strategy.  The Late Spring 2011 issue of The Exchange, the Women's Leadership Exchange newsletter, featured an article by Barbara Kasoff, WIPP President, "Why You Should Celebrate the Women's Procurement Program Even if You Are Not a Federal Contractor."  Follow the link, or read the article below:

I was having dinner with a friend recently and she said "enough already" about the women's procurement program.  She doesn't want to be a federal contractor and so all of WIPP's attention to this program seems a bit much to her.  Not at all surprising, but I would submit this "case study" is applicable to every woman business owner even if you never plan to be a contractor.  Below is a list of lessons learned from this 11-year journey, which I hope you will find helpful in your business or policy organization.

•    Women Business Owners Won.  If there is ever any doubt in your mind whether the Congress listens to women business owners, think no further.  Women business owners are the sole reason behind this program from passage of the law to implementation by SBA.  If you are a woman business owner, this victory is yours.

•    The Importance of a Strategy.  While passion is required for good advocacy, strategy makes the difference between success and failure.  In the case of this program, we had to know how to play the Congressional rules to our advantage.  We had to build a record, know when to mobilize, when to push and put in place a program to increase the number of women interested in contracting.

•    A Lesson In Perseverance.  It took eleven years to make this happen.  This goes to show that even though making changes in government are not necessarily fast, persistence will result in change.  This lesson applies to anyone running a business.

•    Mobilizing Many Voices Works.  If you want to affect change in your community, state or national level, assemble a large coalition of supporters.  While one or two people can make inroads, a coalition will make change possible.  In this case, millions of women spoke out and many, many organizations registered their support.

•    Take Criticism With A Grain of Salt.  Someone once wisely stated that if you are an effective leader, you will be criticized.  In this case, while we did everything we could to minimize animosity, pushing for change subjected us to criticism within the government.  But that just comes with the territory.  Don't let it derail you.

•    Find Your Champions.  In the case of this program, women Members of Congress really stepped up to the plate.  A majority of women in the House supported implementation of a good program and every single women Senator supported us.  Even though women are not the majority in Congress in terms of numbers, they pack a mighty punch.  There were also many unsung heros that worked behind the scenes to help. Elected officials are not the only ones who will step up to be champions.

•    Repeat Your Message Often.  Even though you think the whole world knows your message and can recite it word for word, think again.  Studies show that it takes in the range of 25-40 repetitions to learn.  WIPP and its coalition partners repeated the message that women needed this program to succeed in government contracting and we kept repeating it to Congress, federal agencies, and the White House for 11 years.

•    It Takes Leaders - Are You One?  There is no question that without leadership within the women's business community, this program would simply have died due to unanswered opposition.  Women who head women's business organizations provided leadership at the national level. Individual women business owners who are influential in their communities provided leadership at the local level.  Hundreds of thousands of women business owners responded to action alerts, sent letters when asked, visited their legislators and supported organizations like WIPP who provided the united voice.

Now That We Have the Program, We Need Your Help To Make It Work.  Getting this program in place is just the first step although it took 11 years.  Now the challenge lies ahead- making it work.  That will require visits to the federal agencies and local SBAs to promote the program.  It will require identification of contracts which could be utilizing this program.  It will require educating women on the specifics of the program.  If you don't want to become a contractor, consider supporting the women who do.  They will be there for you when you need their voice on your issue.  And don't forget to celebrate- you won.

Barbara Kasoff is the President and CEO, and Co-Founder of Women Impacting Public Policy, Inc., a non-profit, nonpartisan public policy advocacy organization with over half a million members including over 50 business organizations, educating and advocating on economic issues for women in business.  For more information visit www.wipp.org.

Recently American Express OPEN launched a new OPEN Insight Guide to help women business owners secure government contracts.

The OPEN Insight Guide, Government Contracting: Women in Procurement offers tips, advice, and suggestions for women business owners. Within the guide, you'll find:

 - Excerpts from a roundtable discussion with government-contracting experts and small business owners who have experience in government contracting

 - A list of eligible industries

 - Interview with Ann Sullivan, head of government relations for Women Impacting Public Policy

 - List of resources for women in government contracting

 - Checklist for the program's eligibility requirements

A recent study from American Express found that more than two thirds of the women-owned companies that secure federal contracts generate more than $1 million in sales. Whether you're new to government contracting or an experienced contractor, the information in this new OPEN Insight Guide will help you grow your business through government contacting opportunities.
 

On Wednesday, March 2nd, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) hosted a luncheon to celebrate a new program launched by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assist women owned businesses get their fair share of federal government contracts.  We were celebrating a program that was ten years in the making.  This new program identifies 83 industries in which women owned businesses are underrepresented in federal contracting and allows contracting officers to restrict competition in those industries to women owned businesses.

Interestingly, this celebratory luncheon occurred just one day after the White House report on Women in America found that a wage gap between men and women still exists.  Despite the fact that younger women are now more likely than younger men to have an undergraduate or graduate education, women continue to earn less.  

Promoting entrepreneurship through programs like the federal women's contract program is a perfect example of how to end the wage gap.  Giving women small business owners a level playing field and allowing them to succeed is an example of a solution that works.  To learn more about the new contracting program, go to: http://www.giveme5.com/ and http://www.sba.gov/

Today, we ask you to add your support to WIPP's Economic Blueprint.
 
WIPP's mission is to carefully analyze and assess federal policy for small business owners in the following areas: Economic Principles, Access to Capital, Procurement, Healthcare, Energy and the Environment, and Technology and Telecommunications.

The outcome is the Economic Blueprint for the 112th Congress, which outlines the policy priorities of Women Small Business Owners.  The Blueprint is our call to action, which each one of us, regardless of political party or ideology, can unite behind.

By adding your name, YOU give this document strength and demonstrate your support of the Blueprint's principles to Congress.
 
As small business owners, we know time is precious. Please take one minute to add your name and strengthen a unified, national voice for women in business.  If you have already signed-on, thank you!

Click here to sign-on for no charge.

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For more visibility, click here to support the Blueprint at the level of your choice.