Matching Up
Kansas City is one of five pilot cities to test online Business Matchmaking.

By Ellen Jensen

It’s not any secret that small businesses have the same needs as large businesses: more business. The big difference is that the small businesses have more difficulty in gaining access to government decision makers.

“Searching for the decision maker is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Hector Barreto, administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), at a diversity leadership briefing in Kansas City last month. “Small business owners have the know-how, just not the know-who.”

Making Connections
The SBA and Hewlett-Packard (HP) have been working on solving that connection problem for the last two years through their Business Matchmaking program. The program matches small companies with federal, state and local government agencies, as well as large corporations that have existing contract opportunities.

The program’s goal is to stimulate growth in small business by sharing the wealth—opening up opportunities for small businesses nationwide that normally are relegated to certain geographical areas such as the Washington, D.C., beltway. Through these Business Matchmaking events the SBA and HP have hosted around the country, they have set up more than 25,000 one-on-one appointments between small businesses and agency buyers that have resulted in $25 million in contracts.

Virtual Matchmaking
Although the matchmaking events have been successful, they are limited in scope. To increase the program’s reach and effectiveness, the SBA and HP have taken the program online. Online matchmaking will provide an ongoing, 24/7 opportunity for small businesses to secure procurement appointments. Although hardly a dating service, there are some similarities. Small businesses will list what they have to sell; government agencies and large corporations will list what they need, and the program will find matches. After that, it’s up to the small businesses to make contact with the buyers.

Kansas City will be one of five pilot cities participating in the online program. The others are Albuquerque, Denver, Phoenix and Tampa.

“We need to take advantage of this golden opportunity being given to us,” said Mayor Kaye Barnes, who chairs a small business task force for the U.S. Conference of Mayors and hears the needs and desires of her counterparts. She said Kansas City is lucky to get in on the ground floor of a program that helps to solve such a fundamental problem for small businesses.  

Program Particulars
Interested small businesses must participate in an online training process, which is a prerequisite of the program.
The free training workshop will be available January 1 through March 15. At that time, small businesses based in Kansas City and the surrounding counties of Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Platte and Wyandotte can participate by obtaining a CD-ROM or code number for online access from the SBA, SCORE or one of the small business development centers. The workshop consists of video and text-based tutorials available at www.BusinessMatchmaking.com.

The second phase of the matchmaking experience will roll out on a city-by-city basis from March 15 through May. After completing the online training, small businesses will be able to access the Business Matchmaking system to begin registering their businesses in anticipation of matches with procurement representatives.

“It will be like taking their application from the bottom of the pile and moving it to the top,” said Michael Barrera, SBA national ombudsman.

Strong Candidates
The program is tailored to small businesses that are prepared to do business with government agencies and major corporations. SBA and HP suggest that the best candidates will have a few years of experience, adequate working capital and some technology infrastructure. They also have found that companies that have pursued certifications such as 8(a), minority, disabled veteran and HUB Zone, and have consulted with the SBA or its resource partners have had the most success in the matchmaking experience.

Also, any vendor that wishes to sell products or services to the federal government must register in the central contractor registration (CCR) in order to win contracts and receive payment. It’s a one-time registration requiring basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions.

Ellen Jensen is managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine.