In recent days, I have been trying to find a personal frame of reference for what our nation is experiencing today, and I am drawn to what we experienced in the Fall of 2001. Nineteen years ago, I was a GSA employee, working for the Federal Supply Service on the Multiple Award Schedules program. In the wake of the September 11th attacks, the Coalition for Government Procurement (the Coalition) went ahead with its scheduled 2001 Fall Training Conference and Excellence in Partnership Dinner.
I attended both events, and I particularly remember the emotional gravity of the Excellence in Partnership Dinner. Although attendees were there to honor their colleagues, one could feel in the room an emotional pull that served to strengthen our unity. The procurement community wanted to be together, to honor the fallen, to share what had happened, and to support our country.
As we did in the aftermath of September 11th, we are motivated by the need to come together in common purpose, only now, we must come together by staying apart. As such, the Coalition must do our part by cancelling the Spring Training Conferences. We thank all the invited speakers from government, industry, and academia for your continued support of our training conferences. We look forward to meeting with everyone virtually over the coming weeks. Thank you, also, to our members and the entire procurement community for your ongoing enthusiastic support of Coalition events, like our training conferences.
While we all continue to practice social distancing, the Coalition will provide you with the latest information, analysis, and insights regarding critical procurement policies and programs. As you know, we have ramped up webinars to provide you with the latest information and analysis surrounding the government’s COVID-19 response. Make sure you are reading the Tuesday Tracker and Friday Flash for all the latest procurement news from across the government. Moving forward, the Coalition will be launching additional virtual training and events, including Thursday Think Tanks. Look for a formal announcement of this new service the second week of April.
In the meantime, here is our webinar schedule for the coming weeks.
- April 7 (2:00pm – 3:00pm EST): The New Normal of Government Contracting – How to Keep Performing and Mitigate Business Risks During a Pandemic
- April 8 (2:00pm – 3:00pm EST): Key Provisions in the Senate Stimulus Bill
- April 9 (2:00pm – 3:00pm EST): Small Business Lending Aspects of the Stimulus Bill, Including Size Eligibility and Affiliation Rules for SBA Loans
- April 22 (12:00pm – 1:00PM EST): Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Guidelines
We look forward to continuing to serve you! Stay safe and healthy!