Why is a large biotech business like Sigma-Aldrich, with 6,000 employees
worldwide and $1.2 billion in annual sales, seeking help and advice
on the small-business front?
Simple: it wants to build business and beef up relationships with
potential small-business subcontractors, according to Rich Fyke, director
with the Missouri Procurement Technical
Assistance Center's (MO PTAC) east region office in St. Louis.
Fyke and MO PTAC are helping the firm — a leading life-science
and high-tech company specializing in biochemical and organic chemical
products and kits used in scientific research by life-science companies,
universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical developers and government
institutions — achieve its goal.
"During fiscal year 2004, utilizing MO PTAC assistance, Sigma-Aldrich
obtained numerous government contracts totaling more than $5.6 million
from such federal departments as Health and Human Services, Agriculture
and Energy," Fyke said. "Our services provided the necessary
expertise for the continued advancement of their government contracting
programs."
Sigma-Aldrich, in turn, is converting these federal contracts into
subcontracting opportunities with small businesses related to the
respective work the 55-year-old St. Louis-based firm is pursuing.
"Sigma-Aldrich was looking to better understand small business
subcontracting requirements for company programs pertaining to government
contracts," explained Jim Wickenhauser, government new business
development manager and small-business liaison officer with Sigma-Aldrich.
"The company wanted to verify its programs met contract requirements
and assured small business outreach to the community."
Wickenhauser initiated contact with MO PTAC a couple of years ago
to discuss his company's goals in relation to government contracts
that encouraged the establishment of formal subcontracting ties between
prime contractors and small-business suppliers. That initial query
eventually blossomed into the contracting successes of the past year.
"MO PTAC worked with Sigma-Aldrich on the research to understand
all federal acquisition regulations pertinent to their small business
programs and the interpretation and implementation of acquisition
requirements," Wickenhauser said.
"Further, MO PTAC assistance involved identification of potential
subcontractors and suppliers, updates on small-business conferences
and seminars and help in the tracking of government contract through
the use of automated bid-matching services."
Ultimately, the multi-million-dollar government contracting business
Sigma-Aldrich achieved attests to the value of Fyke's expert advice
and to the validity of the firm's intentions for its small-business
suppliers.
And because of the achievement, Sigma-Aldrich will represent MO PTAC
at the first Client Showcase and Legislative
Breakfast Thursday, Feb. 10, in the State Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson
City.
At that event — hosted by MO PTAC's Columbia-based affiliate the
Missouri Small Business Development Centers (MO SBDC) at the University
of Missouri — Sigma-Aldrich and 24 other outstanding Missouri companies
will meet with legislators to discuss their products and services.
They also will be recognized for their contributions to the economic
development of the state of Missouri. Recognition from MO SBDC and
MO PTAC will be accompanied by legislative resolutions presented by
each company's district state senator and state representative.
For more information on the services of the MO PTAC program, call
Fyke at 314/621-7280 or e-mail him at fyker@missouri.edu.
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