U.S. Chamber Forum Highlights ?Squeeze? in Government Contracting

Executive Branch, Capitol Hill and Private Sector Weigh In

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Professional Services Council (PSC) held a forum today examining the "squeeze" in government contracting facing companies that do business with the federal government.

The phenomenon known in the procurement world as the "mid-tier squeeze" occurs when a company grows beyond its small business standard and finds itself having to compete with industry giants for government contracts.

"This is an important issue not only for companies experiencing the "squeeze," but also for the federal government when developing policies to ensure a diverse and competitive acquisition process," said Steve Lutes, director of the U.S. Chamber's Mid-Market Council.

"Government contractors serving on the Chamber's Mid-Market Council, which is comprised of companies representing a wide variety of industries, identified the "squeeze" as a challenge unique to this sector," Lutes said.

Over 125 attendees participated in the forum which consisted of three panels with representatives from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, General Services Administration, and Congress.

"With today's forum, we wanted to bring together stakeholders from the executive branch, Capitol Hill, and the business community to have a constructive dialogue on this challenge," he said. "We will remain engaged on this issue moving forward."

The forum's complete agenda is available at:

www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=666790

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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