You are cordially invited to participate in a two day Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Acquisition and Logistics’ National Acquisition Center (NAC) 2008 Federal Health Care Industry Conference entitled, “Putting the Pieces Together,” on October 8-9, 2008. The conference will be held at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare Hotel, located at 8535 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL, which is conveniently located minutes from O’Hare International Airport (Chicago) and 15 miles from downtown Chicago. The opening plenary session will be held in the Grand ballroom, and will be followed by one and a half days of informational and training breakout sessions. There is no charge for conference attendance.
Throughout the years, the NAC has fostered its valuable partnership with the Health Care Industry. We want to continue strengthening that relationship by sharing with you, our partners, an overview of VA’s national health care acquisition programs. Considering the continuous and rapid changes within Government procurement practices, we will be providing a basic overview of our national programs, sharing acquisition updates, and covering new initiatives within VA’s Office of Acquisitions and Logistics. Break-out sessions will be presented by NAC’s Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), National Contract, and Denver Acquisition and Logistics Services with representatives from VA’s Veteran Health Administration, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Office of Inspector General, General Counsel, and Acquisition Policy. Other Federal agencies such as the Department of Defense, General Services Administration, U.S. Small Business Administration, and U.S. Customs also have been invited to present.
Come attend break-out sessions focused on What’s New in: Federal Contracting, Standardization, VA/Department of Defense joint contracting, VA's Strategic Sourcing Initiatives, Federal Supply Schedule contracting, contract administration, Goods and Services related to Emergency Support, Electronic Contracting Tools, initiatives for Small Business, and so on. An opportunity for you to share your views and ideas will be provided through an Industry forum/roundtable session.
Who should attend? Health Care companies that provide products and services related to pharmaceuticals; medical/surgical supplies; medical equipment; dental equipment and supplies; reference labs; patient aids; invitro diagnostics, reagents and test kits; high tech medical systems; prime vendor distribution services; reference laboratory services, and professional and allied health care services. Current VA and potential contractors seeking to do business with VA also should attend.
When: October 8-9, 2008: Registration will begin at 7:00 a.m. on October 8th, and the conference will begin tentatively at 8:00 a.m. each day and adjourn around 4:00 pm on the 8th and around noon on the 9th.
Conference Registration: Please go to the following link http://www.va.gov/nac/conferencereg/. Registration should be accomplished no later than September 30th.
Hotel Registration: The Chicago Marriott O’Hare has set aside a block of rooms for this conference at a special daily rate. Register by September 25th to obtain the special rate and to guarantee a room. Just mention that you are attending the “VA NAC 2008 Industry Conference” when registering either on-line at http://marriott.com/CHIAP?groupCode=VNIVNIA&app=resvlink or by calling Toll Free 1-866-614-8407 or 1-773-693-4444. Parking will cost approximately $20 a day (rates vary by accommodations).
Any questions regarding this upcoming conference, please contact the NAC 2008 Industry Conference Team at (708) 786-5157. We look forward to your participation.
Sincerely,
Craig Robinson Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer
or by calling Toll Free 1-866-614-8407 or 1-773-693-4444. Parking will cost approximately $20 a day (rates vary by accommodations).