Cisco Systems Inc.'s manager of federal channel operations Chris Marin vows that he will read any proposal or statement of qualifications that comes his way.
Vangent supplies systems integration and other services to defense and civilian agencies with a focus on health care, and now the company is looking for partners with the right skills and location.
John Blacknall is blunt about how small businesses should go about partnering withBoeing Co. "Just by registering on [our] Web site, the chances are slim" that a small business will get a call to participate in Boeing's $7.3 billion worth of federalcontracts.
Harris is looking for small businesses to handle tasks ranging from geospatial engineering to cable subassembly. Its small-business-supplier Web site is the best way for companies to initiate contact.
Bechtel has found some unexpected ways to further the company's strategies. For example, it sent some of its DOD small-business advocates to a DOE conference. The advocates found new partners to help with DOD projects.
Many Fluor projects exceed small-business targets, usually because of the scale of the projects and the ongoing changes in requirements, especially for overseas activities.
Credibility keeps popping up in discussions with Keith Kellogg, executive vice president of CACI International Inc.'s mission systems group. By his definition, credibility includes reputation and agility.
Abbas Yazdani, founder and CEO of Artel, could delegate the hunt for alliances to other officers. But he often chooses to lead the quest himself, as he did recently at the DISA Customer Partnership Conference.
When a contractor changes its name three times in 18 months, something big is probably afoot. At L-3 Communications Corp., the $12 billion company that has been acquiring and reorganizing its government contracting units, the changes add to the challenges as well as the opportunities for prospective small-business partners.
Lillian Karuri-Magero likes to solve problems. As small-business liaison officer for IBM Corp.'s public sector programs, Karuri-Magero recently stopped by the Agriculture, Defense, Education and Interior departments as well as the Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs departments. Her objective: Help agencies match IT projects with IBM's small-business providers.
If RS Information Systems Inc.'s federal contracts were a remake of the movie "A Star Is Born," 1 Source Consulting Inc. would play the title role: the character who starts out in a supporting part but quickly is tapped to headline the show.
Lynwood Owens is deep in discussions with a woman-owned 8(a) business that for the past seven years has worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The contract is coming up for recompete at year's end, and Owens, a program manager at General Dynamics Network Systems, sees a change in how the smaller company handles the contract: It would become the prime contractor to USAID, and the General Dynamics unit would be its subcontractor.
Every month, the IT group for BAE Systems North America Inc. invites about three dozen small-business partners to a Homeland Security Department trusted forum. They discuss issues and trends, and identify emerging opportunities as well as share best practices.
