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The practice of using diverse suppliers (small businesses owned and operated by disadvantaged owners) has been increasing as time goes on. Many companies have seen and are reaping the benefits of tying up and working with small and diverse-owned businesses. In fact, working with these businesses can […]

If you have a small business and one that can be defined as socially and economically disadvantaged, you can get certified as a disadvantaged small business. Those who qualify for the position are owners who are: Women Disabled Part of an ethnic minority Veterans Disabled veterans Members […]

What is CRM? For those working in sales, CRM or Customer Relationship Management is a staple. For the layman or the customer, it seems like a very complicated concept. To put it simply, CRM is software that manages a company’s customer relations and activities. A lot of […]

There comes a time in a business when certification might be needed. Certification, by all means, is the process and the act of being identified and affiliated with a certain organization. In addition, a certified business is a ‘seal of approval’ that can promote a business at […]

Making and enacting strategies is an art and skill. Strategy is also a major component on getting the most from a business and positioning the business to entities outside it. Business owners should be skilled in planning and doing strategies to make sure that every move they […]

In procurement, the very first goal to achieve is to land a procurement contract. There are many steps and strategies to achieve this goal. Ultimately, the beginning of the actual procurement process is when two sides (the buyer and the seller) sit down, talk and agree to […]

Supplier diversity issues will be tackled by stakeholders during the “DIVERSITYNYC 2014” forum on 30 May 2014, 12:00NN – 3:00PM at the NYC Small Business Solutions Center Jamaica NY. The forum is a collaborative event headed by Head Exposed with industry leaders, namely, New York City Business […]

New York City, New York — The Competitive Edge Planning Committee will be holding its 21st Annual Competitive Edge Conference on July 15, 2014, Tuesday, from 8:00am to 5:00pm at the New York Marriott Marquis, Broadway, Manhattan. The event aims to support businesses for the Disadvantaged Minority, […]

Plan is to pressure Congress to pass broader law applying to employers nationwide, according to reports.

Move is part of ongoing bid to improve acquisition.

Secretary says the boost slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2015, will improve government services.

OPM watchdog says one reviewer approved 15,000 case files in one month.

A non-federal employee on detail to department received more than $620,000 in compensation from the wrong pool of money.

Contractors object as the government finalizes plans to implement statutes limiting their reimbursable pay.

SpaceX is suing its would-be biggest customer for the right to compete for more Pentagon launches.

Building in earthquake zone has weak walls; SIGAR suspects fraud.

Layering changes onto an outdated system just won’t work.

Anne Rung to serve as senior adviser, possibly as procurement chief.

Contracts have been under increased scrutiny due to repeated cost overruns, delays and security failures.

This is the first human death in the naval sea creature program since 1959.

Pentagon deputy Kendall says “people matter” more than organizational policies in cutting weapons costs.

Bloomberg study found increases in spending at Education, Treasury and HUD.

OPM and GSA team up to consolidate acquisition burden for agencies seeking human capital services.

This would mark the first time in seven years that all agencies have met their targets.

Sequester will crimp competition and innovation, official says.

Annual Bloomberg study shows rising awards from three departments despite the overall downward trend.

Overall spending was down 11 percent last year, but seven agencies bucked the trend.

What it will take to set realistic expectations for federal programs.

Beth Cobert tells contractors they are patriotic partners with federal employees.

President will sign two executive orders Tuesday to prevent pay discrimination.

Pentagon, State and USAID advised to improve documentation for noncompetitive contracts.

A ruling from the Small Business Administration lifts the cap on federal contracts set aside for women-owned small businesses.

The Small Business Administration's budget has to be chopped by 5 percent across the board as a result of forced budget cuts.

Here is how the small-business agency is going to be affected by the $85 billion in government-spending cuts that will go into effect starting Friday.

The federal government is the largest buyer of goods or services in the U.S. Here is what you need to do to prepare for doing business with it.

If Congress can't come to a deal over how to reduce the budget, numerous small businesses could be affected.

The Small Business Administration has invested more than $1 million in a group of Northern Alabama small businesses focused on defense and space technologies.

A look at how the Defense Alliance in St. Paul, one of 10 economic clusters in an SBA pilot program, is nurturing energy entrepreneurs.

With the Presidential election nearing, we break down the candidates' stance on small-business contracting and how they plan to invest -- or not invest -- future federal dollars.

At the Republican National Convention, Sher Valenzuela stirs more controversy over the role of government in supporting small-business owners.

Doing work for the federal government can help a small business grow, but figuring out how to secure a lucrative contract can be tricky.

Even as Congress considers which if any of the President's jobs measures to pass, some of his proposals are already gaining traction.

The 3 percent withholding tax due to take effect at year-end has unleashed a groundswell of opposition among business owners and advocates. Here's what they're fighting about.

“Il mercato mondiale del software dedicato al procurement e al supply chain management è cresciuto del 7,3% nello scorso anno, toccando 8,9 miliardi di dollari nel 2013.” – Gartner, crescono le soluzioni IT per il procurement 18 Giugno 2014 No I haven’t been taking lessons in Spanish – on a good day I have enough […]

Originally posted on Procurement Insights EU Edition:Public sector outsourcing continues to receive a poor press, the latest being the lengthy delays for payment of Personal Independence Payments. https://welfaretales.wordpress.com/category/pip/ However, outsourcing will not go away, as the recent announcement of a back-office services framework agreement to be let by the Crown Commercial Service for public…

For those who have followed this blog for any length of time, you already know that I have never been a big fan of press releases. I have always considered them to be little more than contrived exercises in self-promotion that generally make infomercials look like legitimate sources of real news. Within the above context, […]

“To be truly successful, the Defence Analytics Institute or DAI has to take the program beyond itself to deliver results” – Andy Akrouche Editor’s Note: Defence spending is a hot topic lately on both sides of the Atlantic, as government’s are challenging Defence Departments to do a better job in terms of procurement.  Andy Akrouche who […]

Just this morning I received an e-mail invite to the June 12th 30 minute Nipendo webinar under the heading “Beyond e-procurement and e-invoicing: what’s next?” Hosted by Purchasing Insight’s Pete Loughlin, attendees will find out how leading enterprises are building intelligent P2P solutions that: Rise above the limitations of document-based buyer-supplier communication Block bad data […]

As one of our New Wave companies for 2014, Unimarket is an interesting study in contrasts.  On the one hand, the organization has been around for a long time – nearly 2 decades from original conception. On the other hand Unimarket, like the individuals in the old American Express “Do you know me” commercials, has […]

Back in my April 23rd post “What IBM was to mainframes and Coupa was to SaaS, Nipendo is to the P2P cloud“, I wrote the following; I believe that Nipendo is a company to watch – and watch closely – in that not only have they seen the future, they also understand it and are […]

I have to say that I have moderated and/or hosted everything from conferences to webinars, and of course my show on Blog Talk Radio – which will soon air its 900th episode. All of them by and large have been fun and for the most part, memorable for different reasons.  Being the moderator/host for today’s […]

Taking mobile payments on a tablet or phone is a hot area of interest for small business merchants.  It’s the way a lot of small businesses choose to do business these days. One advantage is obvious.  Mobile device in hand, you can accept credit card payments wherever you may be. That’s especially good for food truck operators, ... The post PNC Bank Introduces Mobile Payments From Pogo appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Though many write and sing about it (most recently Pharrell Williams blockbuster “Happy”), happiness doesn’t come naturally to most people – yet it’s within most everyone’s reach. Experts say the key for how to become happier is recognizing certain behaviors, thoughts and the mindsets that happy people share. Happy people are not necessarily smarter, better looking, more ... The post Because I’m Happy, Here’s How to Become Happier! appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Do you publish a website or blog that you monetize using Google AdSense?  Then Google has a self-help training course just for you. Introduced last month, the Optimizing AdSense course provides a: Self-assessment tool to determine holes in your AdSense knowledge today; Series of videos, along with a list of additional reading resources, so you can ... The post A Review of Optimizing AdSense, a Google Training Program appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Timothy Dearlove is a Senior Channel Consultant at HubSpot. Recently, Tim shared his inbound content marketing perspectives with Small Business Trends, focusing on how inbound success can make good marketing campaigns awesome and why content marketing is not a shortcut. (Warning: Tim’s ready to ruffle a few feathers about infographics!) Small Business Trends: What are the content drives ... The post HubSpot’s Timothy Dearlove On Why Content Marketing Isn’t A Shortcut appeared first on Small Business ...

Pinterest is introducing a faster location search to make better use of some of the site’s other location-based features. The social pinning site introduced Place Pins about six months ago, letting people pin their favorite travel destinations, local guides and locations. In a recent post on the official Pinterest engineering blog, engineer Jon Parise, who ... The post Pinterest Introduces Faster Location-Based Search appeared first on Small Business Trends.

It can be a great feeling to finally narrow down your choice in a franchise to own. You’ve spent months searching for a “perfect” franchise opportunity. You’ve (hopefully) convinced those around you – family members included, that owning a franchise is the right thing for you to do. You’ve thought about the money part of ... The post 3 Free Resources To Use After You Choose A Franchise appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Sponsored Post Keeping track of expenses and putting money aside is challenging, but there are six easy tips employers and brokers should share with workers to help them become financially fit. Organize Financial Records Toss unneeded financial records and create electronic or hard copy folders for easy storage. Set a Monthly Budget and Stick to it Keep ... The post Cut Costs Without Cutting Fun appeared first on Small Business Trends.

It’s no secret that competition for experienced employees is heating up. Despite the economy’s ups and downs, the news continues to be filled with reports that businesses seeking to hire can’t find qualified workers. So if you have qualified workers on board, how far should you go to retain them? When a key employee gets ... The post Should You Ever Make a Counter Offer to an Employee? appeared first on Small Business Trends.