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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Pierluisi Promotes Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO- In an effort to provide guidance to small businesses, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi’s office hosted a workshop today to discuss the contracting opportunities available in the federal government.

“In 2009, entities in Puerto Rico received only 0.2% of the $524 billion in contracts awarded by the federal government. Based on this alarming statistic, it stands to reason that Puerto Rico in general—and its small businesses in particular—could benefit from additional guidance and direction regarding the federal procurement process,” Pierluisi said.

Nine federal agencies participated in the workshop, including the Small Business Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Defense Logistics Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of the Army.

The federal agency representatives at the workshop negotiate, administer, and extend contracts originating in their agencies, and are the best resource for a contractor seeking to do business with the federal government.

Pierluisi also urged participants to use the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company as a resource to facilitate their businesses’ response to federal contracting opportunities. PRIDCO’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center can provide market research information on Puerto Rico, help with small business certifications, and assistance with federal contracting guidelines. PRIDCO’s employees work directly with the federal government agencies to complete these tasks.

“All of our panelists would agree with me that entities in Puerto Rico are well-positioned to improve the percentage of contracts they receives from the federal government. We have a stable economy and a highly skilled, bilingual workforce. These factors, coupled with the drive and competence of our entrepreneurs, help to make us an attractive destination for federal dollars,” Pierluisi said.

Expanding federal procurement in Puerto Rico has been one of the Resident Commissioner’s priorities since arriving in Congress over a year and a half ago. He has worked to increase the presence of procurement representatives to advocate for Puerto Rican businesses and sought to address discrepancies in contract applications that harm Island businesses.

“I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure Puerto Rico enjoys the same competitive benefits as the other 50 states. I hope this forum will help to strengthen your knowledge of the federal procurement process in order to more effectively do business with the federal government,” Pierluisi said.