Every year, the US federal government purchases roughly $500 billion in goods and services from businesses in nearly every industry. In fiscal year 2017, for the first time ever, the federal government awarded roughly $105 billion to small businesses, which equates to 23.88% of all contracts. Locally, in fiscal year 2017, more than $200,000,000 in federal contracts were awarded to businesses, large and small, in Spokane County. And these numbers don’t include funds awarded by state and local public agencies, like cities, counties, and school districts!
It’s clear from these numbers why the government marketplace is so appealing. However, it can also be difficult for small businesses to get their foot in the door and win their first prime or sub-contract. But don’t fret, your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is here to help!
In addition to offering no-cost assistance on virtually any topic relating to government contracting, your local PTAC counselor can also help make connections with purchasing agents from federal, state, and local agencies, and with large prime contractors looking for subs. It’s not often small businesses get to make these connections and they’re a great way to market your business directly to agencies, learn about upcoming bidding opportunities, get on a prime contractor’s vendor list, and more.
To help our region’s small businesses make these connections, PTAC is sponsoring an upcoming event being hosted by Greater Spokane Incorporated (GSI) and Fairchild Air Force Base called Meet the Bigs! Taking place in late October, this event will host purchasing agents from our region’s most prolific government purchasers, as well as small business representatives from local, large prime contractors – all to talk with you, the small business owner, about how to sell to them! Read more about the event here: https://greaterspokane.org/meet-the-bigs/
The three-hour event is entirely open networking in structure, giving you the opportunity to visit as many of the 44 (and growing) exhibitors in attendance as possible. See the full exhibitor list here: https://greaterspokane.org/meet-the-bigs-exhibitors/
Meet the Bigs! Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, October 23rd
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Northern Quest Casino
Cost: $40/person
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: https://greaterspokane.org/events/2983/
Want to get the most out of Meet the Bigs? Set up a time to meet with your PTAC Counselor to talk about marketing tips and tricks: Ryan Rodin – rrodin@greaterspokane.org | 509-321-3617
