GRCC GovCon Council's Coffee & Contract Series
Standing Out Where It Counts:
Real-World Strategies for Small Businesses Breaking into Contracting
Start your morning with coffee, connections, and contracting insights! Join us for Coffee & Contracting, a morning networking series designed to bring small businesses face-to-face with government and industry leaders shaping the acquisition landscape. This session will be hosted at Carahsoft Technology Corporation in their Café space, curating a welcoming environment for meaningful conversations and relationship-building.
This session dives beyond the buzzwords to deliver honest, practical guidance from Michael Townsend, APEX Accelerator. Hear directly from those in the know about what procurement decision-makers are really looking for, where small businesses can bring the most value, and how to prioritize your time and resources for the greatest impact.
Whether you're just starting out or refining your federal strategy, this is your opportunity to gain clarity, credibility, and connections over coffee.
Connect & Cultivate Knowledge
1. What Procurement Officials Really Want (and Don't Have Time For)- Why most capability briefings are forgettable and what makes one memorable
- The two or three core things small businesses should always include (and what to leave out)
- How to build a relationship without being a pest
- Why chasing prime contracts may not be realistic initially and why that's okay
- How subcontracting and niche teaming can be powerful entry points
- When to walk away from a bad-fit opportunity (and how to identify it early)
- How to prioritize the right certifications and registrations and avoid "checkbox" thinking
- Free (or low-cost) resources that actually deliver value for small businesses
- What realistic early wins look like and how long it really takes to gain traction
- How to connect with the right people in the Air Force ecosystem (even if you don't have a Rolodex)
- What contracting officers and subcontracting program managers actually read or respond to
- How to be known for something specific and why that's your competitive advantage
Michael Townsend is a Procurement Counselor with the Virginia APEX Accelerator at George Mason University. He provides procurement counseling to small and large businesses seeking to establish or grow their footprint in federal government, state and local government and commercial markets. His clients include newly formed and start up businesses, to those who have an established footprint, seeking new markets, customers and teaming partners.
Mr. Townsend is the former Sr. Director for Small Business Development and Utilization at SAIC. He was the corporate point of contact for all small business matters related to federal government, state and local government customers and commercial small business vendors and partners. His responsibilities included promoting small business utilization and outreach within the company, government customers and industry.
Date and Time
Tuesday Aug 12, 2025
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM EDT
Location
Carahsoft Technology Corporation, Cafe - Ground Level
11493 Sunset Hills Rd Suite 100, Reston, VA 20190
Fees/Admission
ONLINE REGISTRATION OPEN!
Prices increase $10 for onsite registrations.
Contact Information
Torrie Turner || Operations Manager
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