SIMCO Presents Government Contracting Opportunities Locally

By Misty Cryer

Local business owners interested in doing business with one of the major industries in Carlsbad may benefit from attending the Southeast New Mexico Mining and Maintenance Procurement Forum at the end of this month.

The forum is hosted by SIMCO, the management and operations contractor for the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). There is no fee for attending; however, it is important to RSVP prior to the event. The forum will be held at the Pecos River Village Conference Center, 711 Muscatel Ave., on October 29-30.

This is the second year of holding this conference, according to George Garcia, Small Business Manager with SIMCO. He said it is his job to inform the public about opportunities to acquire government contracts. “That is what this conference is all about,” he said.

“First, we try to educate,” said Garcia, explaining that the focus is on teaching businesses how to obtain and keep a government contract. He said they work with small businesses in conjunction with another department, APEX Accelerators, which is part of the Department of Defense and serves as the education arm of government contracting.

Deana Sanabria, with Expoquip out of Knoxville, TN, attended the conference in Carlsbad last year with her husband, Jorge, said Garcia.

Sanabria explained that when working with government contractors or government agencies such as the Department of Energy, there is limited access. “You can’t just walk up and say ‘hi’ and introduce your products,” she said.

“We are a small business government contractor,” said Sanabria, adding that they are also sponsors. She said that attending conferences such as this helps them and businesses like them to get exposure, develop business contacts, and meet the buyers.

The first day of the event, Garcia said, starts with a golf tournament. “We have a lot of sponsors, so if you are a sponsor, you are allowed to participate in the golf tournament,” he said, explaining that it is a scramble with individuals from the procurement team, suppliers, and buyers. Using construction, electrical, and HVAC as an example, Garcia said this allows companies to meet other suppliers so they can submit a bid as a team for projects that require multiple suppliers.

A mixer with appetizers and drinks begins at 4 p.m. after the tournament, Garcia said. “At the mixer, we have a DJ, and we have Lucy’s Restaurant hosting that event.” He said it will provide another informal way to meet other suppliers, and the procurement team will be there as well.

“Our theme for this year is mining and maintenance,” said Garcia. Explaining that the WIPP site is over 30 years old, he said there are items and systems that need to be upgraded or reviewed. “For the next three to five years, we are going to be focusing on just that,” he said.

The second day of the conference is broken down into three segments, said Garcia. These consist of panel presentations, breakout sessions, and match-making sessions. A guest speaker will also be present, and lunch will be provided.

The mining team will participate in the panel presentations. “They will be discussing some of the hot topics that we are looking at,” said Garcia, adding that maintenance will also be participating. “We will have a panel of five people, they will be discussing the maintenance side of WIPP and the upgrades that we will be looking to replace within the next five years,” he said.

George Sturgis, from the Colorado School of Mines, will be the guest speaker, Garcia said. “He is an expert in mining,” he said.

In the breakout sessions, Garcia said the purchasing teams from Los Alamos, Sandia, Cannon Air Force Base, and the Army Corps of Engineers will be there because they are also looking for suppliers. He explained that attendees have the opportunity to discuss their services with the entities who are talking about what they need in the coming years.

The match-making sessions are one-on-one, said Garcia, comparing it to speed dating. “What happens is that you’re given five to 10 minutes to talk about your goods and services directly with one of these representatives, and then you move on to the next one… You get face time with the buyers,” he said.

For additional information, contact George Garcia at George.Garcia@wipp.doe.gov or 575-234-7390. To RSVP to attend this event, email RSVPEvents@wipp.doe.gov. It is important to RSVP, said Garcia. “We can’t have walk-ins.”