Summit aims to help small businesses get government pacts

With Nevada's economic engine misfiring , local leaders are advising small businesses to offer products and services to one of the few buyers around these days with plenty of money, the federal government.

The Nevada Small and Minority Business Summit in North Las Vegas scheduled for Saturday is designed to provide small businesses with a road map for lining up government contracts for supplies, services and construction projects.

Nevada Partners and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., are sponsoring the conference by the Nevada Minority Supplier Development Council.

"Small businesses are the engine of economic growth," Reid said in a statement. "This summit will help Nevada's small businesses find the resources they need to grow and thrive as our economy starts to turn around."

John Scott, district director of the Small Business Administration and a panel moderator, agreed.

Small businesses create two-thirds of the new jobs in the country and employ half of the American work force, he said.

"We want to open the door for them (to federal contracts), welcome them and show them procedures to follow so they have opportunities to participate in these contracts," Scott said.

Several government agencies help small businesses sign up for government contracts.

The Nevada Commission on Economic Development operates a Procurement Technical Assistance Center that advises small businesses on getting contracts and subcontracts for federal, state and local government contracts.

For example, small businesses may participate in contracts for federal highway, public housing rehabilitation or public buildings renovation projects, said Pam Peril, a procurement technical specialist.

She is participating in one panel discussion. Representatives of Wells Fargo Bank, Meadows Bank and Bank of Nevada will talk about financing for federal contracts.

Scott will tell attendees about steps to obtain federal procurement contracts.

The 12 steps include posting credit information with Dun & Bradstreet, getting the ability to accept credit cards payments, registration with several federal programs, and marketing the company's services and offerings to federal agencies.

Representatives of 16 federal departments will staff booths and advise business individually about contracting opportunities. The Service Corps of Retired Executives, SCORE, will have volunteers present who will discuss federal contracting and more basically, starting a business.

Registration starts at 9:15 a.m. Saturday at the Culinary Training Academy, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd. The program runs from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Visit Business_RSVP@reid.senate.gov for a reservation.

Contact reporter John G. Edwards
at jedwards@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0420.