2015ARREGFEDGOVINDUSTRYFORUM

The Little Rock (SWL) District Corps of Engineers in collaboration with the Memphis (MVM) District Corps of Engineers; Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS); 19th Contracting Squadron (19 CONS), Little Rock Air Force Base (LRAFB); US Small Business Administration (SBA), Arkansas District; US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR); US General Services Administration (GSA) and Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center (APAC) will host the Arkansas Region Federal Industry Forum on December 1 - 2, 2015, at the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, on the campus of University of Arkansas at Little Rock, located at 2301 University Avenue, Little Rock, AR. 72204. The purpose of this Industry Forum is to conduct market research at a programmatic level to enable the federal government to establish acquisition plans for the FY16 upcoming requirements, to provide unique information as well as an opportunity to partner with local contractors, and to foster interest in federal government contracting requirements. All potential attendees must pre-register to be considered for this event. This forum is open to both small and large businesses. The Little Rock (SWL) District Corps of Engineers has a vast and diverse mission that encompasses both military and civil projects. Within our geographic boundaries, SWL is responsible for operating 12 multipurpose lakes, 13 locks and dams, 308 miles of navigation on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, 178 parks and 7 hydroelectric plants. SWL provides support to military facilities within our boundaries including Little Rock Air Force Base and Fort Chaffee as well as to customers in Texas and Oklahoma. Additionally, SWL provides worldwide support for Initial Outfitting for the Navy Bureau of Medicine, Army Medical Command and Defense Contract Audit Agency and for Air Force Medical Services providing construction, A-E and supply contracting to support their mission. The Memphis (MVM) District Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining and improving 355 miles of the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois to the Mouth of the White River. MVM maintains more than 640 miles of mainline levees along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, 254 miles of navigation channel on the White River, 1,182 miles of levees, 38 levee/drainage districts and 10 inland harbors. MVM serves customers in portions of Ten¬nessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. Our partners include levee drainage districts, water resource and wildlife agencies, port commissions, numerous non-governmental organi¬zations as well as 10 U.S. Representatives and 12 U.S. Senators. Primarily a Civil Works District, MVM's primary missions include Flood Risk Management, Navigation, Environmental stewardship and Emergency Operations. The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) is a flagship Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care provider and is one of the largest and busiest VA medical centers in the country. Its two hospitals, located in Little Rock and North Little Rock, anchor a broad spectrum of inpatient and outpatient health care services, ranging from disease prevention through primary care, to complex surgical procedures, to extended rehabilitative care. This System serves as a teaching facility for more than 1,500 students and residents enrolled in approximately 65 educational affiliates; its principal affiliate is the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The System is reaching out to Veterans through its Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Conway, El Dorado, Hot Springs, Mena, Mountain Home, Pine Bluff, Russellville and Searcy; its Home-Based Primary Care Center in Hot Springs; and the Veterans Day Treatment Center for homeless veterans in downtown Little Rock. Throughout more than 80 years of rich history, CAVHS has been widely recognized for excellence in education and research, and - first and foremost - for a tradition of quality and caring for more than 65,000 Arkansas Veterans annually. The 19th Contracting Squadron (19 CONS) serves as the focal point for procurement on Little Rock Air Force Base. They provide business advice and contract support for the Total Force assigned to Team Little Rock. The Squadron procured over 87 million dollars in construction, mission essential services and commodities ensuring C-130 operations were successful in fiscal year 2014. This workload consisted of 54 construction projects worth over 60 million dollars, over 110 service contracts worth nearly 11 million dollars and over 100 commodity purchases totaling nearly 15 million dollars. In addition, 19 CONS manages LRAFB's Government-Wide Purchase Card (GPC) program. This program consists of over 300 Approving Officials and Card Holders who make transactions under the United States Government's micropurchase threshold of 2500 dollars. In fiscal year 2014 these purchases totaled over 15 thousand transactions worth over 12 million dollars. In total, 19 CONS managed or contracted for nearly 100 million dollars of the LRAFB budget in fiscal year 2014. The Small Business Administration (SBA) - Arkansas District is the small business source to help your business successfully navigate the federal contracting waters. We administer some special contracting designations, and also have financing options to help you get in the market. Our resource partners, the SCORE Business Counselors and the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) can assist with your business plan and provide other guidance. The National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) plays a critical role in the missions of FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to promote and protect public health. Regulatory science researchers, academia, and other regulatory science research organizations and groups from around the world investigate, learn, and train at the Federal facility. NCTR conducts research that develops and investigates innovative tools to promote efficient regulatory processes and individualized public-health decisions. Research topics represent a full range of FDA's product portfolio including foods, cosmetics, dietary supplements, human and animal drugs, tobacco products, and medical devices. The NCTR research environment is fully integrative in nature and NCTR is dedicated to conducting research vital to regulatory decisions and the regulatory decision-making processes. Furthermore, NCTR provides a unique environment within FDA where regulators, academicians, and regulated industry can interact and discuss solutions and advance studies that promote improved public health. The Industry Forum will focus primarily on presentations from various representatives, that will heighten contractor's awareness on training and business opportunities, tips for success for small businesses, unique requirements and qualifications required for complex projects, the opportunity for government to network and forge meaningful partnership, and addressing customer perceptions and experiences working with small businesses based on reviews and feedback from customers, opportunity to brief federal contracting representatives on its company's ability to fulfill certain requirements within a specific realm of the acquisition landscape. Interested attendees are required to submit an Interest Statement and return it to USACE Contracting Division at [email protected] respectively not later than 17 November 2015. Please complete all sections of the Interest Statement. Questions pertaining to this event can be directed to either Bettye Lou Mahoney, by email at [email protected] or by telephone: 501-340-1056 or Mandy Ashmore, by email at [email protected] or by telephone: 501-340-1249.