Over 25 high-tech industry representatives from various parts of the country attended a seminar with Babs Fallat from the Office of DOT Senior Procurement and 23 of her peers from the Volpe Center is a fee for service agency of the federal government. All of the Volpe Center's work supports DOT's goals: Safety, Mobility, Global Connectivity, Environmental Stewardship, Security, and Organizational Excellence as noted in U.S. DOT's Strategic Plan 2003-2008.

The seminar was an opportunity to learn more about what types of goods and services the Federal Government and DOT intend to purchase from the private sector, and how high-tech companies might help service those needs. 

Jim Meister, Account Manager, DOT, SGI, welcomed the group to the event and gave an overview on how SGI is working to provide the Federal Government with some of the technologies necessary to improve national security. 

Anne Doherty Johnson, AeA New England Executive Director, began the seminar with an overview of procurement legislation impacting high- tech companies and a review of findings from AeA's recent report on offshore outsourcing. AeA is actively monitoring legislative proposals at the state and national level that could impact a technology company's ability to compete for government contracts. 

Next, Rhonda Starr, AeA's Director of Internet Communications and a member of the association's Procurement Program staff, reviewed AeA's Government Market Network, which assists AeA members in competing for government contracts. She also demonstrated how government agencies are using the AeA Member Directory to source technology. 

Babs Fallat then gave an overview of the President's Management Agenda and its relationship to the Department of Transportation, the IT channel, and how to get involved in the government's purchasing cycle. She also emphasized the need for industry to develop an awareness that Government is fundamentally changing the way it does business. 

An afternoon panel featuring the speakers noted above and additional representatives from the Volpe Center, along with AeA members Jim Meister of SGI and Terry O'Neill of CMS Products rounded out the day. Panelists and attendees engaged in a dialogue ways to improve the procurement process and match the government's needs to tech company products and services. 

Overall, the program was met with enthusiasm and greater appreciation for AeA's role in assisting our members in the government acquisition process. 

For more information on how AeA can help your company, contact the AeA New England office at 781.938.1925 or review government marketing resources for technology companies on AeA's website.

Interested in the government market? View details on AeA's upcoming High-Tech Government Dinner in DC on June 15.