Workshop aims to help women-owned businesses win government contracts

The U. S. Small Business Administration, Women Impacting Public Policy, or WIPP, and American Express OPEN, the small business division of the financial services company, are putting on an event May 12 for women business owners who are interested in government contracting.

The federal government sets aside some of the $400 billion it spends each year on goods and services to be purchased from women-owned small businesses.

The conference on May 12 is aimed at helping women learn how to navigate the federal contracting process.

“It’s a hard nut to crack, but once you are in there and perform well and show what a value proposition your services are to the agency’s mission, the word of mouth will spread so much among all the other agencies that soon your business will start growing and growing,” said Lourdes Martin-Rosa, the American Express OPEN advisor for government contracting and herself a small business owner.

“We need to step up to the table and grasp this opportunity that has been given to us,” Martin-Rosa said.

The free conference, called ChallengeHER, will also educate attendees on how to participate in the SBA’s Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program. Among the panelists are Neva Gardner, president of Purgatory Fence Company in Idaho City, and Corrine McKague, owner of Alarmco, Inc. in Boise.

ChallengeHER is a national initiative designed to bring more women-owned firms into the federal government’s supply chain and provide an avenue for government agencies to meet qualified women-owned small business contractors.

The event runs from 9 am to 12:30 pm at the Idaho Transportation Department at 3311 W. State St. in Boise.