DAI Holds Inaugural Small Business Fair

June 24, 2014

“We were small once and we’ve never forgotten our roots,” said DAI’s Small Business Liaison Officer Kurt Olsson. “Over the years we’ve worked with several firms, like dTS, Social Impact, and Fintrac that have grown and become major players in our field. This fair is another step we are taking to engage a wider pool of small businesses that want to enter or broaden their footprint as USAID partners.”

Modeled on the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s annual GovConNet conference, DAI set up timed matchmaking sessions between the company’s key buyers and more than 20 pre-selected small firms that provide services for global development projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. government agencies.

Each small business made new connections with up to six different DAI departments.

DAI staff members were also pleased to expand their connections with small businesses. “Now, when we’re required to identify small business partners for new projects, I’ll have some contacts to draw upon,” said business development specialist Taylor Foshee.

The firms represented offer a wide variety of services including monitoring and evaluation, information technology procurement, media and communications, mobile applications, water and infrastructure services, gender in development, health and nutrition, and training. The firms were classified across the range of small business designations, including women-owned, small disadvantaged, HUB Zone, and service disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

Learn more about how DAI partners with small firms.