The Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
(MAHCC.org)

Cordially invites you to attend a business seminar

"Building a Strong Foundation for a Profitable Government Contracting Business"

presented by

Eden Brown Gaines, Managing Partner, Sprenger + Lang, PLLC’s Government & Commercial practice; Diana Dibble Kurcfeld, President, Design To Delivery Inc (D2DInc); and,
Mark Amadeo, Principal, Amadeo Law Firm.

Federal procurement in the Washington area is in the tens of billions of dollars and continues to grow. However, small and minoritity businesses in general have not taken advantage of this business opportunity. For the past five years, the MAHCC has been building a strong and aggressive outreach and training program to encourage and help educate entrepreneurs who would like to do business in the increasingly more lucrative public marketplace or who already own a contracting business but would like to make it grow.

Thus, the purpose of the "MAHCC Government Procurement" seminar series is to prepare women, veteran and minority business owners to enter the 8(a) Federal Procurement Program, how to build a strong and competitive busines, and how to succeed in it. We are pleased to bring three experts in several aspects of Government Procurement  to provide valuable information in how to start a contracting business or expand an existing one.

When: Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Time: 8:00 a.m. until 11:15 a.m.

Where: OBA Building, Ground Floor Conference Center, 20300 Seneca Meadows Parkway and Germantown Road/MD-118 (next to I-270, Exit 15A), Germantown, MD 20876. Note: Parking and entrance to the Conference Center  is located in the back of the building. Again, you cannot enter the Conference Center through the OBA Bank, You must park your car behind the building and enter through the rear door.

Cost: Members $25, non-Members $30 (light breakfast and refreshments will be served)

Contact Information: Mark Amadeo at 301-693-7418 or Jorge Ribas at 301-404-1946.

Program

Introduction

Session I – "The Federal Acquisition Process from the Legal Perspective" - Presented by Eden Brown Gaines

An introduction to the rules and regulations that cover federal government contracting.  This high level presentation will include:  An overview of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), a discussion of the rules governing business conduct and ethics, an overview of the legal aspects of the solicitation and bidding process, and a discussion of the express and implied contractual obligations of a federal government contractor.

Session II – "Marketing Your Business to Government" - Presented by Diana Dibble Kurcfeld, President, Design To Delivery Inc (D2DInc)

An overview of techniques and tips to successfully marketing your company and secure federal government contracts.  This high level presentation will include:  key activities before pursuing federal government contracts, an overview of the federal market, and key steps for marketing your company.

Session III – "Certifications and Local Government Contracting" - Presented by Mark A. Amadeo, Principal, Amadeo Law Firm, PLLC.

An overview of certifications for small and disadvantaged businesses and of the rules that apply to businesses that contract with the state of Maryland and local agencies.  Topics will include:  A discussion of the federal 8(a) certification process, a review of state and local preferences for small, MBE, WBE, veteran-owned and HUB-zoned businesses,  and an overview of the rules and regulations applicable to state or local contractors under the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) and local ordinances.

Seminar Presenters:

Ms. Eden Brown Gaines is the managing partner of Sprenger + Lang, PLLC’s Government & Commercial Practice.  She represents small business clients in varied industries.  She assists her clients throughout the entire government procurement process, including proposals, contract modifications, contract administration and protests.  She represents small businesses in commercial contract negotiations, including subcontracts with prime contractors, subcontracts to fulfill prime contract responsibilities and contract litigation.
 
Ms. Brown Gaines is a seasoned employment litigator and has represented employees, small businesses, managers and the federal government in employment claims and employment class actions in federal courts and administrative proceedings nationwide.  Her litigation experiences have honed her ability to identify human resource and wage and hour compliance problems which plague small and large businesses alike.  She consults with business clients to help them avoid common pitfalls and maintain compliance with federal and state employment laws. Ms. Brown Gaines received her B.A. in English and Philosophy from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.  She received her J.D. from the American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.

MS. Diana Dibble Kurcfeld is the President and Co-Founder of Design To Delivery Inc. (D2DInc), a consulting firm that specializes in providing consulting and acquisition support services to government and commercial organizations.  Diana has worked in the government contracting arena since 1987. Her expertise is in strategic planning and business development, capture management, corporate communications, proposal development, and training services. Throughout her career she has won business for clients in civilian and defense agencies in a myriad of industries from information technology to finance to food service. In addition to speaking about government contracting, she has also taught SBA-sponsored classes on government contracting topics, has guest-lectured at the University of Maryland’s School of Business, and taught courses on federal government contracting marketing at the Women's Business Center of Washington, DC.

Mr. Mark A. Amadeo is the founder of the Amadeo Law Firm, PLLC, a consultation and litigation boutique with offices in Washington, DC and Frederick, MD.  Mr. Amadeo represents businesses and non-profit organizations, as well as individuals and entrepreneurs, in government procurement, employee benefit, employment, and general commercial and compliance matters.

Prior to forming the Amadeo Law Firm, Mr. Amadeo was a partner at a Washington DC law firm where he litigated class action cases under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).  Mr. Amadeo also advised executive managers in merger and acquisition transactions.  Previously, Mr. Amadeo was an attorney at the Office of the General Counsel for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a United States governmental agency responsible for enforcing and regulating Title IV of ERISA. Mr. Amadeo graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in Economics, earned a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Also received an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.