ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The District conducts regular outreach events to small businesses seeking to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. One such event, the annual Industry Day, was held Feb. 6, 2019.
“Industry Day was well received, with up to 100 contractors in attendance,” said Monique Chisholm, the District’s Deputy of Small Business.
The goal of Industry Day is to connect key District personnel with small business firms seeking to work with the District. District personnel in attendance included representatives from Contracting Division; Operations Division, Military & IIS Project Management, Engineering & Design Branch, Civil Works, Geotechnical & Environmental Engineering Branch, Hydrology & Hydraulics, and the Tribal Nations Technical Center of Expertise.
Michael Goodrich, chief, Military & IIS Project Management Branch, opened the event, speaking about what the Corps of Engineers does, and focusing on the District’s area of responsibility, the fiscal year 2019 mission, and significant projects and contracting opportunities in the District.
This year a new format was introduced called speed dating. “The speed dating format was very successful; it connected contractors with acquisition and project management personnel to discuss contracting opportunities face-to-face,” said Chisholm.
Each small business spent 10 minutes presenting their capabilities to one of the District’s functional area representatives. Then they switched to a different functional area representative.
Industry Day 2019 was held in at the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, located in the CNM Workforce Training Center in Albuquerque. PTAC assists businesses in learning how to do business with federal, state, and local governments. PTAC offers training to businesses on how to research and bid on contracts, assists with registration requirements, provides bid-matching services; and assist with pre- and post-contracting issues.