UW and Wyoming APEX Accelerator to Host Government Contracting Summit April 8-9

Small-business owners will have an opportunity to learn about selling their products and services to the federal government during the Government Contracting Summit Monday-Tuesday, April 8-9.

Wyoming APEX Accelerator, U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will host the summit in Room 116 of the Intertribal Community Center at Central Wyoming College, located at 2860 W. Main St. in Riverton. The summit is scheduled from noon-5 p.m. April 8 and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April 9. To register, go here. Registration is $40.

Wyoming APEX Accelerator, part of the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network housed at the University of Wyoming, is the state’s expert in government contracting assistance.

Every year, the federal government spends millions of dollars in Wyoming. During the summit, small-business owners will receive an introduction to free resources to assist them in navigating the federal procurement process; meet individually with federal agencies to talk about supplies and services they buy and how they purchase them; and market their products or services one-on-one to the participating federal, state and local agencies.

Workshop topics include how to sell to the government, basics of government contracting, writing a proposal, the Buy Indian Act, cybersecurity and the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program.

“As we all know, it can be a struggle to survive and thrive as a business in Wyoming with the smallest population in the nation,” says Janean Forsyth, APEX Accelerator manager. “Finding other sources of income can help businesses succeed in our boom-and-bust state.”

“Government contracting is a great way to diversify your revenue and customer base, and this summit will benefit all small businesses, beginners or seasoned veterans interested in government contracting,” says Deb Farris, U.S. SBA deputy director. “The federal government tries to award a significant percentage of all federal contracting dollars to small businesses, including woman-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, historically underutilized (HUBZone) businesses and minority-owned businesses. We look forward to helping businesses see if they qualify, giving them a potential advantage in government contracting. Additionally, businesses that might be better positioned as subcontractors will have an opportunity to network and learn from large prime contractors in the state.”

Invited government agencies (subject to change) include the General Services Administration; F.E. Warren Air Force Base; National Park Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Veterans Affairs; Wyoming National Guard; U.S. Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management; Federal Highway Administration; and the Wind River Corps Center. Additionally, prime contractors and representatives from UW, the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and a number of local agencies also have been invited to participate.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hampton Inn and Suites, located at 2500 N. Federal Blvd. in Riverton. To book rooms, guests can call the hotel at (307) 856-3500 and let the hotel staff know they are participating in the Government Contracting Summit to be placed into the block or they can book online here. If applicable, attendees also will need to provide proof of tax exemption.

Interested participants also can register here for a free webinar titled “APEX Accelerator Lunch and Learn: Making the Most of Networking Events for Contractors” from noon-1 p.m. Thursday, March 21. The webinar will help prepare participants to make the most of their networking opportunities with government contractors in advance of the summit.

For more information, call Maureen Johnson, marketing, communication and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email mjohn125@uwyo.edu.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA.