ADVISORY/USHCC Discusses Contract Bundling with Government Officials and Business Owners.

News Editors/Assignment Desks

ADVISORY...Thursday (March 13)

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003

Eliminating contract bundling and evaluating what the Federal government is doing about it will be the lead topic of discussion at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) Issue Briefing during its 13th Annual Legislative Conference to be held on March 13th, in Washington, D.C., next week.

The USHCC has reported that too often highly skilled and qualified Hispanic small business owners are left out of the process from obtaining lucrative procurement opportunities as a result of contract bundling. Last year, the USHCC applauded the efforts of President George W. Bush who announced the government's strategy to stop contract bundling and open the Federal procurement process to the small business community that includes more than 1.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses. The President's report, A Strategy for Increasing Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Business stated that "the size and number of bundled contracts have reached record levels, meaning that there are fewer and fewer opportunities for small business to compete for Federal contracts."

The USHCC has convened a panel of experts to address the issue of contract bundling and assess where the Federal government is not meeting its goals to eliminate this practice. Panelists will include: Angela Styles, Administrator, Federal Procurement Policy at the Office of Management and Budget; Tina Cordova, President/CEO of Albuquerque-based Queston Construction, Inc.; Theresa Avillar-Speake, Director, Office of Minority Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy; and Steve Denlinger, CEO of the Latin American Management Association.

The Issue Briefing is open to the media and will be held on March 13th at the Capital Hilton Hotel, Federal Room B, located at 1001 16th Street, Washington, D.C.

The USHCC represents the interests of more than 1.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States and Puerto Rico, which earn more than $200 billion annually. It serves as the umbrella organization for over 130 local Hispanic chambers nationwide, and it actively promotes the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs. For more information visit www.ushcc.com.

MEDIA CREDENTIALS REQUIRED - VISIT WWW.USHCC.COM TO SUBMIT REQUEST.