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Ahead of buildup, SBA advises Saipan businesses
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Posted on Sep 25 2008
The Small Business Administration’s staff held one-on-one conferences with Saipan’s business leaders Thursday to help them prepare for the windfall of government contracts and business opportunities many anticipate from the pending military build up on Guam.
SBA is the federal agency tasked with fostering the growth of small businesses. Held at the Aqua Resort Club, the conferences followed a presentation by SBA staff on how businesses can work with the federal government.
“It’s a process that can get a business owner lost,” said Commerce Secretary Michael Ada. “I would urge everybody in the business community not to wait. It’s an effort and they should start working now.”
Guam is now preparing for the arrival of an estimated 8,000 U.S. armed forces personnel and their 9,000 family members, who are slated for relocation from Okinawa, Japan, to the island. Military officials have said the move could necessitate scores of major construction projects and other support that would require local contractors.
Yet working with the federal government, as shown in the presentation, can prove a daunting and complicated task for the uninitiated, involving a maze of contract stipulations and a significant time commitment.
“Seek all the resources you can get to learn about federal contracts,” said Kenneth Lujan, branch manager for SBA. “Don’t sell yourself short with data. We’ll provide people with links to these federal programs but it’s really up to them to take advantage of it. Contracting with the government, it’s a different playing field than on Saipan and we want to elevate the level of expertise.”[B][I] (Stefan Sebastian) [/I][/B]
