WSJ Article "Small Businesses Chase Big Stimulus Money"

Diana Dibble Kurcfeld was recently interviewed by Victoria Knight for her August 10, 2009 Wall Street Journal article "Small Businesses Chase Big Stimulus Money". In this article Ms. Knight provides insights for small businesses interested in doing business with the government such as homework, paperwork, legwork, building relationships, and subcontracting. She also provides a dose of reality for businesses wanted to take advantage of Stimulus spending. The article is available online on the Wall Street Journal's website.

If you're interested in getting into government contracting, Diana is available to answer questions about the information in the article. She can be reached at (301) 657-4440.

On Point Washington Technology Article

In case you missed it, Matthew Weigelt wrote a really good article on the Obama administration and how it can benefit small businesses. It's an interesting article because he not only talks about the new opportunities that could come for veteran-owned and woman-owned businesses, but also discusses the potential negative impact to Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs). His article appears in the January 2009 issue of Washington Technology or can be found on line at http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2009/01/12/winners-and-one-possible-loser.aspx.

It's a well rounded article and I particularly like the attention Mr. Weigelt paid to the woman-owned business contracting program. We've been hearing for years about how this program is supposed to go into effect. We'll see if the Mr. Obama and his SBA Administrator nominee, Karen Mills, will be able to implement a program that makes sense and doesn't lock out the majority of woman-owned businesses.

SBA regulations on WOB set asides

This article by Inc.com highlights the issues with the new regulations pertaining to set aside contracts for women-owned business. In a nutshell, only 4 industries out of the 313 listed in the procurement registry would be eligible for federal agencies to set aside contracts for women-owned business. The article also references statistics from the US Women's Chamber of Commerce indicating women make up 30 percent of the nation's business owners, but receive only three percent of federal contracts -- clearly a disproportionate percentage. Bottom line - women business owners need to be proactive and aggressive in their efforts to positively impact the regulations. Click link below to see full article.

SBA Defends Contract Plan