Business Editors
WASHINGTON
--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
--Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), a not for profit public policy organization and the nationâs largest bipartisan womenâs business group, today announced a national partnership with American Express OPEN, the nation's leading issuer of payment card products and lines of credit for small business owners, to launch âGive Me 5: Education and Access for Women in Federal Contracts.â The national program is designed to educate women business owners on how to apply for and secure federal procurement opportunities.
Give Me 5 derives its name from The Equity in Contracting for Women Act (2000), which stipulates that federal contracting officers award 5% of all contracts to women-owned businesses. With women presently receiving 3.4% of federal contract
, Give Me 5 aims to increase the representation of women-owned businesses that win government contracts by providing resources and information to make it easier for women to register their businesses with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR), a requirement to gain eligibility to apply for federal contracts.
âFederal government contracts represent an enormous growth opportunity for women entrepreneurs. We believe that increasing women business ownersâ access to federal contracts can help increase revenues for women business owners by billions each year,â said
Barbara Kasoff
, president and chief operating officer of WIPP. âWorking with OPEN, WIPP is committed to help ensure women across industries see government contracts as a growth opportunity.â
Specifically, women business owners could gain more than
in annual revenues by reaching the 5% contracting goal, according to a statement issued by the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee in
.
âWomen business owners should have a greater share of government contracts and our partnership with WIPP is intended to make that a reality,â said
Susan Sobbott
, president of American Express OPEN. âWomen-owned businesses are a driving force in the national economy, generating
in sales and employing 13 million people. 2 However, only 67,000 of the 10.1 million women-owned firms are registered on the CCR and eligible to apply for federal contracts. Give Me Five will help educate and engage women in the contracting process to help substantially fuel their business growth.â
OPENâs partnership with WIPP is the latest example of its advocacy on behalf of women business owners and their growth. Another key effort is
The Make Mine
a Million $ Business program, which was launched in conjunction with Count Me In for Womenâs Economic Independence in 2005 to help post-start-up, women-owned businesses exceed
in revenues.
One success story highlighting the growth opportunities government contracts can provide is
Garnett Newcombe
, chief executive officer of
Human Potential Consultants, LLC
, who used
The Make Mine
a Million $ Business program to gain confidence and competence to succeed when applying for government contracts. As a business owner with less than
in revenue prior to joining the community in 2006, Newcombe has since tapped government contracts and generated
in contract commitments.
âWomen business owners often have an uphill battle in securing multi-million dollar opportunities â especially government contracts. The first federal application can be a daunting experience, but I learned firsthand that a successful bid can make all the difference to a growing business,â Newcombe said. âAs a group, we need to take advantage of the resources that are available to help level the playing field and speed our own success.â
Through a blend of seminars, events and online resources, the Give Me 5 SM initiative can help women understand key steps they must take to prepare to apply for federal contracts, including registering a business with the CCR, certifying a business as woman-owned, identifying contracting opportunities and writing solid proposals.
Through the program, OPEN and WIPP plan to educate as many as 100,000 women per year on the opportunities available from the federal government and enroll up to 5,000 women per year on the CCR.
OPEN and WIPP also released a step-by-step account of the federal contracting process in a co-authored OPEN Booklet. The booklet and more information can be found online at
http://www.giveme5.com
.
About Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)
Women Impacting Public Policy is a national bi-partisan group comprising over half a million members. The non-profit organization is the public policy voice for 45 national Women in Business groups and is The Voice for Women in Business in Our Nationâs Capital. WIPP strengthens its membersâ sphere of influence in the legislative process, creates economic opportunities for members and builds alliances with other small business organizations. Visit
www.wipp.org
.
About American Express OPEN
SM
American Express OPEN is dedicated to the success of small business owners and their companies. OPEN supports business owners with exceptional service. With tailored products and services, the team delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help customers run their business. Specifically, business owner customers can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings, including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about OPEN, visit OPEN.com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a card or loan. Terms and conditions apply.
American Express Company
www.americanexpress.com
is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.
1 According to the
Small Business Administration
(SBA) figures for fiscal year 2006.
2 According to the Center for Womenâs
Business Research
American Express OPEN
Rosa Alfonso
, 212-640-1712
Director of Public Affairs
rosa.m.alfonso@aexp.com
or
Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)
Jason Lalak
, 415-434-4314
Director of Business Development
Jlalak@wipp.org
State Keywords:
District of Columbia
Industry Keywords: Women; Public Policy/Government; Public Policy; Professional Services; Finance; Other Professional Services; Consumer
Source: American Express OPEN
