YOU ARE THE CUSTOMER—Nearly a hundred small businesses owned by veterans and service-disabled veterans received practical tips and advice on winning new business from federal, state and military procurement offices at the Federal Procurement Information and Training Event hosted by ARINC Incorporated on Monday September 20 at its Annapolis headquarters. Congressman John Sarbanes (center) Edward Chow, Jr. (right), Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, and ARINC Director Walt Tomczykowski (left).
It was the second Federal Procurement Information and Training Event sponsored by ARINC Incorporated to help Veterans and Service Disabled Veterans gain a better understanding of federal and state requirements, and leverage their companies’ capabilities to win contracts.
The event drew significant support from many Small Business Program Offices and nearby government agencies, including the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and the Maryland Department of Economic Development. These organizations, among many others, are charged with making sure small and Veteran-owned businesses get a share of procurement dollars.
ARINC also announced a new company program specifically designed to help Service Disabled Veteran and Veteran Owned Businesses match their capabilities with ARINC’s full range of products and services. Businesses can go to the ARINC web site at, scan all the listed products and services, and forward a capability statement along with the identified ARINC product or service name, to either [email protected] or [email protected]. ARINC will then seek to match these capabilities against its future supplier requirements and opportunities.
ARINC has a long record of partnering with small, disadvantaged, women-owned, and veteran-owned small businesses that are qualified to compete for government set-aside contracts.
“It’s not just a matter of being fair and inclusive in awarding contracts,” said Walt Tomczykowski, an ARINC Director who helped organize Monday’s event. “The facts show that our defense and government agencies actually need access to small, efficient service providers and manufacturers. These independent companies can often deliver quickly on small but vital jobs that larger defense and government contractors cannot touch.”
Among the guest speakers on Monday were Congressman John Sarbanes, Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District Representative, and Secretary Edward Chow, Jr., of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs.