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GOV. BLAGOJEVICH
STAGES HOMELAND SECURITY CONTRACTING
FORUM IN MOLINE
Black Hawk
Community College Event Attracts Nearly
100 Local Companies Interested in
Business Opportunities in the Homeland
Security Market
MOLINE - Continuing to meet his
commitment to make Illinois the nation's
homeland security market leader, Gov.
Rod R. Blagojevich's administration held
a successful homeland security
contracting and matchmaking forum for
nearly 100 businesses at The Mark in the
Quad Cities today. The Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity's (DCEO) Homeland Security
Market Development (HSMD) Bureau
organized the forum in partnership with
the Illinois Department of Central
Management Services (CMS) and the
Homeland Security Procurement Technical
Assistance Center (HSPTAC) at the
College of DuPage. The forum was the
third of four matchmaking forums being
held throughout Illinois in order to
give businesses interested in the
homeland security market an in-depth
educational guide to federal, state and
local government procurement
opportunities in the $45 billion
homeland security industry.
"We are committed to assisting Illinois
companies in becoming top competitors in
the homeland security industry by
showing them how to service the needs of
both business and government. Helping
these companies grow means a safer
country and more Illinois jobs," Gov.
Blagojevich said.
The forums provide practical insight on
doing business with the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security (DHS), guidelines
for writing successful proposals, market
analysis and information gathering
techniques, an overview of DHS
contracting agencies and their functions
and a discussion of the current State of
Illinois procurement systems. Today,
attendees learned directly from Paul
Campbell, director of CMS, the agency
that purchases billions of dollars in
products and services needed by state
government each year.
"There are countless local businesses
that can provide important homeland
security products and services to the
state, and Gov. Blagojevich and I are
encouraging them to compete for these
contracts. It's important for more
Illinois entrepreneurs to learn about
doing business with the state, because
more companies competing is better for
both taxpayers and businesses," CMS
Director Campbell said.
The presentation helped local homeland
security entrepreneurs gain insight
about securing business with the state,
including tips about enrolling as a
state supplier, registering products and
services offered, and enrolling in the
Small Business Set Aside and Business
Enterprise Programs. The state continues
to look to small businesses to supply
homeland security products and services,
including tools, sanitation supplies,
advanced technology, clothing and
countless other items.
"The Homeland Security Procurement
Technical Assistance Center plays an
integral role in helping Illinois
companies bring homeland security
contracting dollars to Illinois," DCEO
Director Jack Lavin said. "These forums
give Illinois businesses a leg up in
competing for these contracts by showing
them how to develop the knowledge of
available opportunities and the
relationships with key industry
contractors that they need to grow their
business, which will help them create
lasting jobs for today and tomorrow."
The next and final forum is set for June
14th at John A. Logan College in
Carterville and will include a focus on
writing for U.S. General Services
Administration (GSA) contracts. To
register to attend the next forum,
please contact HSPTAC Director Rita
Hatcher-Haake at 630/942.2616 or email
hsptac@cdnet.cod.edu.
HSPTAC was established in 2005
specifically to help Illinois businesses
compete for public sector homeland
security contracts. In addition to
hosting a series of conferences and
forums, HSPTAC features a specialized
in-take process, business opportunity
listings, relevant training sessions and
ongoing relationship building with
federal agencies through HSMD. HSPTAC is
focused on keeping track of the issues
and trends in the rapidly changing
homeland security industry. For more
information on HSPTAC, visit
www.cod.edu/BPI/hsptac.htm.
DCEO's Homeland Security Market
Development Bureau is focused on
supporting businesses engaged in the
homeland security industry. HSMD offers
a variety of investment tools designed
to help existing Illinois companies
expand operations and utilize available
state and federal programs and services.
For more information on HSMD, visit
www.hsmd.illinois.gov.
Eligible businesses are encouraged to
enroll in CMS' Small Business Set Aside
and Business Enterprise Programs by
contacting 1-866-ILL-BUYS or visiting
www.business.illinois.gov. Besides
registering for these special programs,
business owners are encouraged to
register their product or service
specialties on the Illinois Procurement
Bulletin. Once enrolled, they
automatically receive email notification
when the State of Illinois is requesting
bids or proposals in their product or
service category.
Gov. Blagojevich's Opportunity Returns
regional economic development strategy
is the most aggressive, comprehensive
approach to creating jobs in Illinois'
history. Since a one-size-fits-all
approach to economic development just
doesn't work, the Governor has divided
the state into 10 regions - each with a
regional team that is empowered and
expected to rapidly respond to
opportunities and challenges.
Opportunity Returns is about tangible,
specific actions to make each region
more accessible, more marketable, more
entrepreneurial and more attractive to
businesses. It is about upgrading the
skills of the local workforce,
increasing the access to capital,
opening new markets, improving
infrastructure, and creating and
retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is
about successfully partnering with
companies and communities, both large
and small, to help all of Illinois reach
its economic potential.
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