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In the News - February 2010
Workshops for Arkansas companies seeking federal, state contracts
MALVERN, Ark. - Small business owners and managers are invited to take part
in a series of workshops to help them prepare for the 3rd Annual Arkansas
Procurement Opportunities Conference at the Statehouse Convention Center on
April 27.
The workshops are hands-on, interactive sessions in which attendees learn how
to select industry codes, commodity codes, and other information, and how to set
up or update vendor registrations in both federal and state systems.
One of the in-class exercises involves practicing 10-minute interviews, so
the business people will be able to make the best use of up to 20 appointments
on the day of the conference.
Workshop attendees will also learn how to compose a line card, which is a
one-page quick-reference document that informs customers about the company’s
capabilities. Each seller will provide one to the buyers they meet at the
conference.
The instructor is Sue Coates, director of the University of Arkansas
Procurement Assistance Center. Coates developed the workshop format to prepare
the small businesses for last year’s conference and it was so well received she
is repeating it through March and into April at eight locations around the
state. Many of these sessions are hosted by two-year colleges through their
Workforce Training Consortium.
"Careful preparation for this conference can result in getting an order from
a major buyer," Coates said. "Knowing in advance what to expect makes it easier
to get your message across quickly."
Attendance at the workshops and the conference is free and open to the
public, but registration is required in order to provide training materials.
Information about both is available at http://arkansasprocurement.org or by
calling the Center at 501-337-5355 or by email at
apac@uaex.edu.
Here is the workshop schedule:
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability,
marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
February 24, 20100
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
Related Link
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