ESC Small Business Programs director offers 'free' advice at local forum

  • Published
  • By Chuck Paone
  • ESC Public Affairs
Mar. 29, 2007 --  Bill Donaldson offered some 'free' advice to the dozens of small business representatives attending a local forum last week. And the first thing he suggested was to "take advantage of all the free advice that the federal government makes available."

"Of course it's not really free," he added. "You're paying for it with your tax dollars."

Mr. Donaldson, the Electronic Systems Center's director of Small Business Programs, was the keynote speaker at a March 22 forum held at Aptima Corp. in Woburn, Mass. The forum, 'Engaging Major Contractors,' was sponsored by defense industry-associated professional organizations and a local public affairs firm specializing in defense and homeland security.

Mr. Donaldson provided a laundry list of resources available to small businesses that are just starting to navigate federal contracting waters. On the government list: agency small business specialists such as himself; staff members at Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, which are generally located at area colleges and universities; the Small Business Administration; the General Services Administration; and the Defense Contract Management Agency.

"We in the federal government talk funny sometimes," Mr. Donaldson said. "It can be hard to understand all the jargon and acronyms, processes and procedures. That's why there's plenty of help out there. I strongly recommend you seek it out and use it." He also urged them to seek out industry-affiliated small business liaison officers and to join networking groups, such as the ones that helped sponsor the forum, the Association of Old Crows and the National Defense Industrial Association.

Comparing small business to "motherhood and apple pie," he said, "there really is no lobby against small business; everyone supports it."

Small businesses provide most of America's employment and serve as the real engine of the U.S. economy, he said. "That's why the support is so clear and so strong and why we try so hard to reach out to small business."

Mr. Donaldson advised the small companies to 'know the rules of the game," by which he meant all the laws and regulations that govern federal procurement. He also stressed that they become aware of the Web-based venues, such as FedBizOps, where federal business opportunities are listed.

Beyond that, he suggested that companies determine, before starting out, who needs them and why.

"What does your company bring to the table that perhaps no one else does, or does as well? You may be the best out there at your specific niche, and so that's where you need to focus your efforts," he said.

Some other simple advice: check your website to see how well it works and how user-friendly it is; call your own customer support number and see how well your call is handled; and make sure you deliver what you promise.

"If you tell us you have 24-hour customer support, we will get up at three in the morning and check," he said.

Mr. Donaldson also spoke about the subcontracting process, including government subcontracting requirements. This is the area where many small businesses can most readily insert themselves, especially when they offer a specific advantage that improves a larger product or program.

Following Mr. Donaldson's presentation, a panel of industry members, from large- and medium-sized defense firms, offered their perspectives on small business outreach. Sharon Whittaker of Northrop Grumman Corp., Suzanne Daniels of BAE Systems, Larry O'Brien of Dynamics Research Corp., and Robert Riche from the Lockheed Martin Corp. all agreed that small businesses offer a lot of plusses to them.

The panelists noted that they are always looking for small business partners and sought feedback from participants on ways to better accomplish this. They also responded to a host of questions.

"The forum clearly demonstrated that the defense sector in Massachusetts is strong and growing," said Joseph Donovan, vice president of WolfBlock Public Strategies, the organizing sponsor for the event. "Building better relationships between our small, technology-based businesses and the major players in the defense sector ultimately benefits our homeland and national security capabilities."