Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy to Kickoff The ASBC Fifth Anniversary Conference and Gala on April 23rd

    COLUMBIA, MD, March 19, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The American Small Business Coalition (The ASBC) announced today that Shay D. Assad, Director of Defense Procurement, Acquisition Policy and Strategic Sourcing, will speak at a special edition of the Washington Breakfast Club, the opening event for the organization's Fifth Anniversary Conference and Gala at the Sheraton Premiere Tysons Corner in Vienna, VA (www.turningfive.com).

In the February 4th Government Executive article Defense outlines change in acquisition strategy Assad is quoted as stating "We've got to write better contracts that better incentivize industry and get the best deal. The world of cost-plus award-fee contracts is over," said Assad, who also recently assumed the title of acting deputy undersecretary for acquisition and technology. The Defense Department plans to dramatically realign its acquisition strategy, increasing its focus on competition, rebuilding its procurement workforce and creating more consistent requirements for contractors in the post-award process.

The special edition of the Washington Breakfast Club, which celebrates twenty-five years as the areas premier information exchange for Government and Industry, will serve as the opening of the day-long industry information and networking forum for participants from around the nation. The WBC meets regularly at the Tower Club where government officials lead timely and highly-informative discussions with industry executives and professionals representing small, medium and large companies. Previous guests of the WBC include Grant Schneider, Chief Information Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency, Casey Coleman, Chief Information Officer, U.S. General Services Administration, LTG Jeffrey Sorenson, CIO/G6, U.S. Army and The Honorable Linda Jacobs Washington, Assistant Secretary for Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The day continues with morning and afternoon breakout sessions, a luncheon keynote, annual membership meeting and an evening reception followed by an awards dinner where annual membership awards will be presented. The dinner will also feature the announcement of a scholarship program to honor the memory of Lieutenant General Henry "Hank" Doctor, Jr. USA, a member of The ASBC Advisory Board until his passing in December 2007.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact the Fifth Anniversary Planning Committee at [email protected] for details or visit http://sponsor.turningfive.com.

Media Sponsors for The ASBC Fifth Anniversary Conference and Gala include Federal News Radio (www.federalnewsradio.com) and Washington Technology (www.washingtontechnology.com) two of the government sectors most trusted media outlets.

About The American Small Business Coalition
The American Small Business Coalition is a membership organization exclusively focused on supporting the development of relationships, best practices and market intelligence for companies doing business in the government sector.

The group's primary goal is ensuring that government agencies are able to identify viable and vetted companies who can support their mission requirements, and that those companies have access to an established and trusted community of current and retired leaders from Government and Industry. Visit www.theasbc.org or contact them at 410-381-7378 for additional information.

As featured in the October 2008 Washington Technology article 'It's not just for start-ups' The ASBC has been credited with facilitating more than $2 billion in direct and subcontract awards for its members since being founded in 2004.

Guy Timberlake, Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of The ASBC, was recently named to the 2009 class of the Washington Business Journal's Minority Business Leader Awards and will be recognized at a special luncheon on April 2nd at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, DC with the other honorees.

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