FAA National Small Business and IT Shared Services Partnership & Training Conference

This year's conference theme is "Procurement Opportunities - Strategic Alliances - Customer Focus". The event is expected to attract over 1,500 attendees. This includes key personnel such as senior executives, acquisition executives, contracting officers, program managers, small business liaison specialists, chief information officers, chief information security officers, information systems security managers and personnel from the IT/ISS and privacy workforce from the FAA.

Highlights of the conference include: Prime Contract Awards to Small Businesses – The FAA annually obligates more than $3.9 billion in goods and services (over $1 billion each year in support services is awarded to small businesses.) In Fiscal Year 2011, the FAA awarded 30% of the total procurement dollar obligations to small businesses, 12% to small disadvantaged businesses, 6% to women-owned businesses and 2.5% to service-disabled vet! eran-owned small businesses.

The FAA continues to aggressively reach out to the nation's small businesses. Workshop sessions will address technical program requirements and business issues as well as provide detailed procurement information that will help increase small business opportunities with the FAA and teaming opportunities with large businesses covering a broad range of products and services procured FAA-wide.

Role-Based Training

The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) requires all personnel with significant information security responsibilities to receive annual information security specialized training. Attendance and participation in the workshops that are offered at this conference (Track 2) satisfies the FISMA information systems security specialized training requirement. Business Networking – The conference offers a wide variety of business networking opportunities by encouraging attendees to meet and discuss critical is! sues within their organizations. It also provides opportunitie! s for agency executives to discuss current trends and challenges for acquisition and IT/ISS executives.

Exhibitors

Large and small industry partners have the opportunity to display their cutting-edge technology and will be able to meet with key procurement personnel, program managers and decision makers to discuss strategies and the latest trends in the area of information technology, information systems security, power systems, terminal field operational support, engineering development services, safety and operations support, communications flight service and weather engineering, technology transfer, airport and aircraft safety R&D, quality standards, research partnerships, operational support, management services, technical support services, engineering services, facilities infrastructure and security services, design/build, environmental services, telecommunications services, major system and subsystem manufacturing, architectural and training services, etc.