Women's Business Procurement Project:
An Initiative to Advance the Progress of Women-Owned Businesses in Corporate and Government Procurement
Introduction
 The U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce™ (USWCC) has launched the "USWCC Women's Business Procurement Project" as a nationwide initiative to assist women in business to make the leap to proportionate levels of economic achievement through increased success in corporate and government procurement markets.
Between 1997 and 2002, women-owned firms grew 14% to 6.2 M (double the national rate of 7%). Their sales increased 40% to $1.5T and they employed 9.2M (up 30% since 1997).
But, these gains have not translated into commensurate success in corporate and government procurement markets. While women represent 38% of all businesses in the U.S., they capture only 18% of the available purchasing dollars and generate only 16% of business revenue. (State Venture Policy: Investing in Women Entrepreneurs)
One clear method to assist women-owned businesses with obtaining increased revenues is to improve the number of women-owned firms in and the success of women-owned firms in procurement markets.
Since 1990, there has been a federal government-contracting goal of 5% to women-owned businesses. But more than a decade later, women-owned businesses continue to get less than half of that goal. Even though the federal government has been successful in doing business with small businesses as a whole, it has not been successful doing business with women-owned firms. In the year 2000, the federal government spent $44.7B of its total $200.9B spending (22%) with small businesses. During this same year, it spent only $4.6B (2.3%) with Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs).
Procurement opportunities with state governments and corporations are no better. Data from the states indicate that most state goals for purchasing from women-owned businesses are 3% or less. Additionally, women-owned businesses receive less than 5% of corporate purchasing dollars. (Federal Procurement: Trends and Challenges in Contracting with Women-Owned Small Business)
Creating Change
The USWCC Women Business Procurement Project will use a multi-level approach to create positive change for women in procurement that includes:
The creation of local and national USWCC Women's Business Procurement Councils which will consist of women business owners, corporate and government procurement leaders, U.S. Small Business Administration regional leaders, lenders, and regional/national economic development leaders.
These councils will work together with the USWCC to: - Increase the number of women owners and women-owned firms actively and successfully participating in procurement opportunities;
- Share information regarding potential women-owned business suppliers;
- Create local and national procurement process educational programs;
oIncrease dissemination of procurement opportunities to women owners and women-owned businesses; - Recruit and prepare additional government and corporate procurement partners;
- Train and assist with technical expertise to create joint ventures and strategic alliances among women-owned firms to assist women-owned firms with issues of competition and contract consolidation;
- Assist women-owned firms to make connections with other firms locally, regionally and nationally to establish potential joint venture and strategic alliance partners;
- Improve and enforce local and national policies supporting women-owned firms in government procurement;
- Raise the visibility of women-owned businesses in procurement and the challenges they face;
- Assist women-owned businesses with financial and operational challenges associated with business growth through procurement success;
- Assist women-owned businesses with the move to e-procurement;
- Report successes and challenges both regionally and nationally.
Establish USWCC National Women's Procurement Support Network of government and corporate supporters who: - Sign on to report their annual spending (total and with women-owned firms)
oSet and keep reasonable goals to improve their spending with women-owned firms - Secure top-level commitment to increased spending with women-owned firms; and
- Assist the USWCC with educating women-owned firms to their processes, opportunities through meet the buyer programs, and increased dissemination of procurement opportunities.
Establish the USWCC Women's Procurement Network – the voice for women in procurement, which identifies women-owned businesses active in, or actively seeking to participate in procurement markets. Women in this network will: - Take part in educational programs to assist with understanding the maze of opportunities and differences among government and corporate entities; learn how to create joint ventures and strategic alliances; raise capital; and gain the operational expertise needed to fulfill procurement contracts.
- Receive detailed e-educational training information and notices of opportunities.
- Be eligible for exclusive meet the buyer programs.
- Provide feedback to the USWCC regarding success of educational programs, meet the buyer programs, and bids or requests for proposals. This feedback will be used to assist with adapting programs and reporting the outcome of women taking part in procurement opportunities.
- Take part in creating a national network of women in procurement who will gain and use their growing influence to help create a marketplace that is more receptive to the advances of women in business. A national database will be built to grow the influence of women in procurement and enable the USWCC to call upon women in the national network to support our objectives.
Establish the USWCC National Women's Enterprise Certification to enable women to more easily obtain a national certification that will assist them in reaching across state and regional barriers to procurement opportunities. This program will begin by providing reciprocal certifications to those women who already hold certifications from government or private entities that meet USWCC criteria. Currently less than 2,500 of the over 6.2M majority-owned, privately held women-owned firms hold a national certification – while thousands more hold viable local certifications which are based on the same criteria. The USWCC National Women's Enterprise Certification will greatly increase the number of women-owned firms holding national certifications while simplifying the certification process for women business owners.
Establish local and national USWCC Women's Procurement Summits where women business owners, economic and government leaders can come together to review the successes and challenges in procurement, work with corporate and government leaders to create new opportunities, and gain significant local and national exposure for women-owned businesses in procurement.
Conclusion: The Ultimate Goal
Through these nationally coordinated, locally implemented councils, commitments and opportunities, women will gain a much stronger position in the marketplace. They will move into a position of leadership working side-by-side corporate and government leaders to make positive change rather than standing in the wings hoping for support.
The ultimate goal of the USWCC Women's Business Procurement Project is to increase the success of women-owned businesses in the procurement process to the level where certification, targeted programs, and women-focused activities become unnecessary as women will have moved into the mainstream of the marketplace. | 
