Sign In
About
Give Me 5: Education and Access for Women in Federal Contracts
Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), a not for profit public policy organization and the nation's largest bipartisan women's business group, and American Express OPEN, the nation's leading issuer of payment card products and lines of credit for small business owners, have embarked on a national partnership to launch Give Me 5: Education and Access for Women in Federal Contracts. 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 dollars1, 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 business with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR), a requirement to gain eligibility to apply for federal contracts.
Specifically, women business owners could gain more than $5 billion 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 March 2007. "Women business owners should have a greater share of government contracts and our partnership with WIPP is intended to make that a reality," said Susan Sobbott, president of American Express OPEN. "Women-owned businesses are a driving force in the national economy, generating $2 trillion 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."
As business owners, first and foremost, we are always looking for opportunities to expand our businesses. One important way you can do this, is to register with the CCR. The CCR is a database, (managed by the Department of Defense), of all businesses contracting or seeking contracts with the federal government. It is also used by many corporations who are seeking women business enterprises as suppliers. The CCR is not only a place to register if you are considering a government contract, but it will collect and validate information so that agencies or corporations looking to acquire services can easily find you. It is so easy to register on the CCR, and while it opens the doors to many business opportunities, it will not cost you a penny to register and will only take you about half an hour.
Give Me 5 will guide you through the CCR registration process, researching federal procurement opportunities, marketing to the federal government, certifications, and steer you through many other complexities of federal contracting. There are a variety of resources, outlined in the Give Me 5 Resource Section of this website, including government websites where you can check for businesses similar to yours that are awarded contracts. WIPP and American Express OPEN are dedicated to providing you with the resources to successfully enter the federal procurement arena.
"Federal government contracts represent an enormous growth opportunity for women entrepreneurs. We believe that increasing women business owners' access to federal contracts can help increase revenues for women business owners by billions each year," said Barbara Kasoff, president and chief operating officer of WIPP. "Working with OPEN, WIPP is committed to help ensure women across industries see government contracts as a growth opportunity."
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 Nation's Capital. WIPP strengthens its members' 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 OPENSM
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 www.OPEN.com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a card or loan. Terms and conditions apply.
1 According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) figures for fiscal year 2006
2 According to the Center for Women's Business Research
