Small businesses urged to participate. (Security Beat).

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, sponsored the U.S. Senate's first Small Business Homeland Security Expo, along with Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. They both sit on the Small Business Committee.

Kerry said that small-business technology entrepreneurs have a role in homeland security and can make useful contributions. "For each of these small businesses represented here today, there is the possibility of finding a solution to some of the challenges of making us more secure at less expense," he said.

"It is the small businesses, particularly on the technology cutting edge, that bring us the high value-added jobs that change the work place, provide greater opportunity and raise the income of our fellow Americans," he said.

A message to the federal agencies, Kerry said, is that large companies are not the only option when it comes to advanced technology for homeland security. There are thousands of small firms that can "respond quickly, that are more flexible, that have a greater capacity to be able to respond more creatively," he said. "Many of these companies have contacted our committee, expressing frustration in these past months nor knowing how they can access the procurement process, not knowing how they can get noticed, not sure that people in bureaucracy are paying attention to some of the ideas that they have."