Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), a not for profit public policy organization and the nation’s largest bipartisan women’s business group, just recently announced a national partnership with American Express OPEN, the nation’s leading issuer of payment card products and lines of credit for small business owners, to launch “Give Me 5: Education and Access for Women in Federal Contracts.” The national program is designed to educate women business owners on how to apply for and secure federal procurement opportunities.
According to Susan Sobbott, president of American Express OPEN, “Women business owners should have a greater share of government contracts and our partnership with WIPP is intended to make that a reality. Women-owned businesses are a driving force in the national economy, generating $2 trillion in sales and employing 13 million people. However, only 67,000 of the 10.1 million women-owned firms are registered on the CCR and eligible to apply for federal contracts. Give Me Five will help educate and engage women in the contracting process to help substantially fuel their business growth.”
Through the program, OPEN and WIPP plan to educate as many as 100,000 women per year on the opportunities available from the federal government and enroll up to 5,000 women per year on the CCR.
The U.S. government is the world’s largest purchaser for goods and services. From airplanes to zippers, the federal government spends more than $400 billion annually, according to the Government Accountability Office. If you sell it, chances are the government buys it. Federal contracting, while lucrative, can sometimes seem complex or confusing. American Express OPEN has put together a guidebook providing practical advice on government contracting.
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Tags: government contracts, small business for women, women owned businesses, women small business
October 1st, 2008 at 12:34 am
Gooooooooo! Women!!!!
Thanks for the information, great new blog look by the way, I love it!
JR