SBA, CIAPR to host 13th Government Contracting Matchmaking Event
The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Puerto Rico Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR by its Spanish acronym) will jointly conduct on, May 1 their 13th Government Contracting Matchmaking Event, bringing together contracting officers and small business owners, as National Small Business Week takes place on the island.
“Once again, the SBA and the CIAPR come together to offer small businesses on the island the chance to sit face-to-face with federal procurement officers and directly market their products and services,” said SBA Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands District Director Yvette T. Collazo.
“During this historic time for Puerto Rico, we have the responsibility of offering entrepreneurs all the tools and resources available so they may take advantage of the federal opportunities that exist and help their businesses become more solid than before, creating the jobs that are so necessary for Puerto Rico’s economic development,” she said.
Small business owners will have the opportunity to hold 10-minute appointments with procurement officers from such federal agencies as General Services Administration, USDA Rural Development, Federal Highway Administration with the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation’s Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Installation Contracting Office-Fort Buchanan, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Forest Service and Dept. of Veterans Affairs, among others. Also, pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb will be joining the event this year.
Small business owners will also have the chance to attend educational sessions, covering such topics as the Mentor/Protégé Joint Venture Program, Bristol Myers Squibb Supplier Diversity Program, Woman-Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business Certification and more. SBA resource partners and local government resources will also be available to provide orientation.
The Matchmaking Event will be held at CIAPR’s Hato Rey headquarters in Hato Rey, starting at 8 a.m. The event is open to the public, but seating is limited. To register free of charge, visit Eventbrite.
