A Message from Ann
It is with great excitement and anticipation that we introduce the Women’s Procurement Circle. We call it a circle because women for many generations have participated in circles—bringing collaboration and comradery to a group task. Women’s circles are a “supportive environment” in which women can be heard, held, and seen without judgment. By providing a supportive group of women seeking to win federal sector work or grow a successful contracting business, we use this metaphor to launch the Women’s Procurement Circle. Our team has been at the forefront of small business procurement advocacy for the last 20 years. One of our greatest achievements was securing the implementation of the federal contracting program for women (the WOSB/EDWOSB procurement program). Without advocacy, the program will not reach its full potential.
In addition to advocacy, we seek to create a network for women to share insights and real-world knowledge of the complexities of federal contracting. In the spirit of a circle, without judgement and in collaboration, we envision a place to share ideas to meet potential partners and grow your business. We are not limiting this group to women business owners only – we want to ensure the next generation of women leaders are included as they advance through the govcon arena. We will consider accepting women in senior leadership roles that have a passion for increasing the voice of women-owned businesses in federal contracting.
We chose to introduce this group during Women’s History Month to celebrate leaders who paved the way for gender equality. In many ways, women are still trailblazers in the federal marketplace. However, the federal government struggles to meet awarding a mere 5% of all federal contracts to women owned companies. By creating a single focused collaborative advocacy group, we can surely affect change in policies that hinder our success and turn our strength into opportunities.
We look forward to your participation in the Circle.
-Ann
