Thursday, March 27, 2003
DOT 24-03
Contact: Ben Langer
Telephone: 202-366-5580
U.S.
Transportation Department Provides Opportunity For Women-Owned
Small Businesses to Meet Contracting Officers
The U.S. Transportation Department arranged for one-on-one marketing opportunities for nearly 100 women-owned small businesses today to promote their goods and services to procurement officials from seven DOT operating agencies, the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Amtrak. The morning event helped the Department mark March as Women’s History Month.
“These
one-on-one sessions
enable small, women-owned businesses to become more familiar with our
procurement offices and more aware of contract opportunities.
They are a means to ‘level the playing field’ and give small firms an
opportunity to market their capabilities,” U.S. Transportation Secretary
Norman Y. Mineta said. “In
addition, we will have an opportunity to look at these qualified small
businesses with an eye toward meeting our small business goals.”
Each participating women-owned small business had an
opportunity to discuss its capabilities and learn of potential procurement
opportunities during pre-arranged 15-minute appointments with Transportation
Department procurement officials and technical representatives.
“Woman-owned
businesses can provide many of the critical mission products and services we
need at DOT,” said Sean Moss, Director of DOT’s Office of Small and
Disadvantaged Business Utilization. “We
think the team approach of having both procurement and technical officials
interact with women-owned businesses will create increased contracting
opportunities for these firms.”
Participants from within DOT
included representatives from the Office of the Secretary, Federal Highway
Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Transit Administration,
Federal Railroad Administration, Research and Special Programs Administration,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration and Maritime Administration.
The sessions were arranged by the Department’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and took place at Loew’s L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC.
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