To help women-owned small businesses take advantage of the additional federal contracting opportunities made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has launched a free online training program.
The new training course, Winning Federal Contracts, is designed to teach women entrepreneurs about the federal procurement process and where to find contracts, and to prepare them for contracting opportunities.
"Given the opportunities that are available to small businesses right now, there has never been a better time for women entrepreneurs to capitalize on these federal contracting opportunities," said National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) chief of staff and director of affiliate relations, Kate Karasmeighan, who manages the NGLCC's Women's Business Initiative.
Women entrepreneurs must fill out a brief registration before they can start the self-paced course, which can be accessed from the SBA's Federal Contracting Opportunities Training page.
According to a news release, the SBA is committed to seeing that at least 5 percent of federal contracts are awarded to women-owned businesses, and the new training course is part of an ongoing initiative to promote opportunities for these entrepreneurs.
"Many people shy away from government sales because they fear the red tape, slow payment schedules, or simply feel overwhelmed by the bureaucracy," said NGLCC-certified business owner, Eileen Kessler, president of OmniStudio in Washington, D.C. "I believe this is a costly mistake for companies whose products and services are a good fit for the millions of Federal dollars waiting for them."
