The Offices of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) from 8 federal agencies are co-hosting a technical assistance event for companies interested in building and growing their federal contracting opportunities. In conjunction with the Northern Virginia Procurement Technical Assistance Center, the OMWIs will offer informational, educational, and networking sessions. Please register for this free event today; space is limited.

This event will feature three separate tracks which participants can choose from. Information on the tracks can be found below.

Registration Time will be from 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Location:George Mason University Arlington Campus Founders Hall, 3351 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201

Track #1: Government Contracting; Debunking the Myths, presented by Anna Urman, Director, Virginia PTAP

Intended for businesses new to federal contracting, this track will explore what it takes to succeed as a government contractor. You will learn the requirements, the nice-to-have, and the best practices for marketing your business to federal agencies; and uncover some misconceptions that have held businesses back from succeeding in this competitive market.

Track #2: Federal Proposal Writing 101, presented by Shaanon Lindauer, Senior Consultant, The Federal Proposal Experts

This track provides small businesses with a step-by-step approach for responding to a Federal Solicitation with a focus on scoring maximum evaluation points.

Competing in the Federal marketspace requires the ability to respond to government-issued Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Requests for Quote (RFQs), Sources Sought and Requests for Information (RFIs). Anyone who has ever read a Federal solicitation document knows they can be complex, and have contradictory instructions and requirements that seem unrelated to the work being procured. And those are the well-written RFPS!

Preparing a professional-looking, compliant proposal is, perhaps, the single most important capability for a Federal contractor. When approached in a methodical, well-planned way, proposal preparation can become a repeatable, efficient process that puts you miles ahead of most small businesses.

Participants in this workshop will learn how to:

• Read an RFP for the Important Parts
• Plan Proposal Content and Stick to the Plan
• Use a Compliance Matrix
• Get Your Proposal into the Winnable Pile
• Score Maximum Evaluation Points
• Write Compliant and Compelling Proposal Content using an 8-Step Process

Instructor Bio: Shaanon Lindauer has 14 years of experience as a Senior Proposal and Capture Manager in the Federal Civilian and Defense contracting space. She has written and managed 796 proposals as of 2014 and has led capture teams for some of the largest companies doing business with the Federal government. Shaanon is the Owner of The Federal Proposal Experts, a consultant company that offers affordable, expert-level proposal and capture training and support to small businesses. Shaanon has a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Arcadia University in Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s in International Relations from California State University Sacramento. She is also a member of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals.

Track #3: Guy Timberlake will present: Competitive Intelligence Education for Growing Government Contractors.

What is Competitive Intelligence?

Competitive intelligence is the result of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing information about offerings, customers, competitors and related environmental factors so a company can understand and learn what's happening in their marketplace, at the earliest opportunity. It's bona fide situational awareness to keep organizations as informed and competitive as possible. participants will learn and use proven tactics, tools and resources to discover how to find and exploit accurate, relevant and timely competitive intelligence to support strategic decision-making for their companies.