Big News for MoCo Government Contractors
Announcing the Launch of the Free Maryland Defense Network Tool
By Lynne Stein Benzion, CEcD, Director, Business Retention and Expansion Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC)
MCEDC is proud that MoCo is home to more than 700 defense contractors. Their mission is vital, so we are always on the lookout for ways to improve their success. Our state has developed an innovative new way to help them. With that in mind:
As a defense contractor, have you and your organization struggled to navigate the often-convoluted world of government spending, funds allocation, and new business opportunities?
That daunting experience just got easier with the launch of the Maryland Defense Network from the Maryland Department of Commerce. This tool provides an interactive experience to map defense spending across the state of Maryland. The free tool can help contractors expand and diversify their customer bases, as well as identify new and increased opportunities to partner with prime contractors on larger projects, and gain more insight into expiring Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. It will also streamline the process for local businesses to stay aligned with changing defense priorities and themes - a key element in winning continued business contracts.
This is particularly valuable as Maryland is among the top five states in the nation for defense spending, and the sector is key in our larger economy. The new Maryland Defense Network tool also complements resources like FEDMINE, a local MoCo company, that brings the latest in federal data sources and opportunities into the hands of area business owners via a game-changing web-based solution - dramatically increasing their ability to successfully compete for key ‘slices’ of the GovCon ‘pie.’
The new Maryland Defense Network tool offers several key advantages to local government contractors, including:
- Greater Search Visibility for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses. These groups will now appear in searches conducted by prime defense contractors for broader exposure and access to expanded sub-contracting opportunities;
- Increased Networking Potential Between Prime and Sub-Contractors. The network can be leveraged by prime contractors to develop a pool of potential subcontractors to satisfy contract obligations;
- Direct Access to Defense Agencies. Companies of all sizes will now have a direct path to compete for contracts; and
- Expanded Data Analysis and Tracking. The new tool will enable economic development professionals and research analysts to explore the impact of defense spending in Maryland, and track other data points to improve outcomes for small and mid-sized government contractors going forward.
Did we mention it’s FREE? The state recognizes the importance of helping defense contractors expand and diversify their businesses, so we can thank our wonderful state partner for making this available to Maryland defense contractors. It does not duplicate the information provided by great MoCo companies like FEDMINE – the largest library of aggregated federal data sets on the Internet today - it is a complementary service.
We’re proud to continue our tireless support of local Montgomery County businesses - and to bring this resource to our area government contractors. Please let us know about your experience with the new Maryland Defense Tool as you try it out. We look forward to hearing your stories and trumpeting your successes.