The Kentucky Procurement Technical Assistance Center and Kentucky Small Business Development Center will host the first GovPro Conference on May 13 at The Campbell House in Lexington. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. and the conference will run until 4:30 p.m. EDT

“We are very excited to have Mildred Quinley from the Office of Small Business Utilization, U.S. General Services Administration as our luncheon speaker. The office of Small Business Utilization advocates for small businesses, and its mission is to promote increased access to GSA’s nationwide procurement opportunities,” said Dee Dee Harbut, Kentucky Procurement Technical Assistance Center director.

Government procurement professionals from federal, state and local agencies will also be on hand at the trade show to talk about opportunities for small-business owners.

Spending more than $500 billion annually makes the U.S. government the largest consumer of products and services. From purchasing items as simple as soap totheconstruction of buildingsto consulting services, the opportunities for businesses to expand their revenue through government contracts are vast. Networking and understanding the “how to” is the purpose of the GovPro conference.

“The Kentucky SBDC continues to strengthen the local economy by offering educational and networking opportunities such as the GovPro conference to small-business owners seeking to grow their revenues with government contracts,” said Shirie Hawkins, Bluegrass SBDC director.

Among the features of the conference will be the breakout sessions led by experienced professionals with solid working knowledge of the procurement process and regulations. Session topics will include: How to Market to the Federal Government, Construction and Architect-Engineer Contracts, An Insider’s Insight to the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Accounting Requirements for Federal Contractors.

Along with the workshops, continental breakfast, lunch, a trade show and networking breaks are included for each registered participant. For more information about the GovPro conference or to register, visit http://2015govproconference.eventbrite.comor contact Kristy Coates at 859-257-7668. The deadline for registration is May 6.

The Kentucky Procurement Technical Assistance Center falls under the Kentucky Small Business Development Center, part of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. KSBDC’s network of 15 offices located throughout the state helps existing and start-up businesses succeed by offering high quality, in-depth and hands-on services. KSBDC is a partner program with the U.S. Small Business Administration. More information on KSBDC services is available online at http://www.ksbdc.org/.