Photo By Richard Komurek | The 409th Contracting Support Brigade, together with contracting representatives from...... read more read more
CHIÈVRES, Belgium – The 409th Contracting Support Brigade, together with contracting representatives from Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), hosted a first-ever Industry Day at Chièvres Air Base on Feb. 19, drawing contractors from approximately 120 local, regional and international companies looking to do business with the U.S. Army and NATO.
With a focus on outreach to businesses in the Walloon Region of Belgium, the Industry Day event provided information and panel discussions to help contractors understand how they can register and compete for business contracts that support military operations in support of USAG Benelux and SHAPE. The discussions also highlighted the role that civilian businesses play in providing goods and services that enable the military mission to succeed.
“Over time, as the mission of NATO forces change, we evolve our infrastructure to meet the needs of the war fighters and their Families,” said Col. Patrick Hofmann, commander of USAG Benelux. “For military leaders, the importance of logistics is never lost on us, it’s fundamental to success for the war fighter. This is really an exciting event, and I look forward to partnership with some of you in the future in support of our warfighters and Families.”
Among the participants helping to build bonds between the U.S. Army, NATO and businesses in Wallonia was Tatiana Hamaide, from the Hainaut Chamber of Commerce.
“It was a very good event with many companies and industries represented. That was the aim … to get all these people together and to discuss how they work and how to do business,” said Hamaide. “I think it was interesting for them [local companies] to know what kind of services and equipment you need and how to make an offer.”
For Ofri Gross, a businessman from Brussels, the Industry Day provided a wealth of information for someone who has never done business with the military before.
“Today was very insightful. It took us step by step with what we need to do for small to medium businesses trying to engage with an organization that is so broad and large in scale,” said Gross. “But it's not just about the understanding of how to do things, which is complicated and does take some time to understand, but it’s also about the one-on-one interaction among the participants which is invaluable.”
The Industry Day also attracted businesses who are experienced in providing good and services to the garrison but may have not yet worked with NATO. In addition to providing new information about working with SHAPE, the event also gave important insight to the ever-changing needs of the garrison which is critical for businesses to understand.
“We want to stay close to the needs of our clients, see how they evolve,” said Marian Cramers, whose company specializes in the maintenance of military and government buildings across Belgium. “It's very nice to meet our clients ahead of a call for proposals to understand how they work, what their considerations are and their priorities.”
The Industry Day not only benefits companies looking to do business with the garrison, it also benefits the U.S. Army by ensuring a broad base of companies are available to provide goods and services.
“We want to increase competition. We found over the years that our systems make it difficult to do business with the government because our online systems are geared to U.S. vendors and not to local vendors,” said Premilla Nored, chief of the Benelux Regional Contracting Office. “So, we thought an Industry Day was perhaps the best way to capture a large group and offer them services to help them get registered and expand the vendor database to have more competition and reduce prices.”
However, ensuring a broad vendor base is not only about getting goods and services for the best price, but also about ensuring the garrison has multiple options for obtaining goods and services in the event of a crisis or emergency.
“If there is a major event or crisis and we only work with just one company, then we are in danger,” said Nored. “If that company goes under, then we have no other resources. So, we need to always have a healthy vendor base to get both reduced prices and better performance.”
One way that contractors contribute to the quality of life in the Benelux is by supporting Morale, Welfare and Recreation activities.
“The Industry Day was a really good initiative,” said Benelux contracting specialist Yolande Bandolo. “I already have some vendors contacting me for appointments to show different types of services they can provide for recreation, which helps meet Soldiers and Family needs in efficient ways.”
Another important aspect of building bonds with local and regional businesses is promoting a culture of transparency and fairness when it comes to work contracts. Enhanced business relations across the Benelux and beyond creates regional impact that strengthens U.S. Army operations in Europe.
“Traditionally contracting functioned in an ivory tower and nobody really understood the process,” said Nored. "My main message today was to show that it's fair and transparent. We even had some participants from Kosovo, Poland and Germany who wanted to understand how the Army does business. It's not just about us, we're a team and we're all in this together.”
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2025 10:02 |
| Story ID: | 491196 |
| Location: | WALLONNE, RéGION (FR), BE |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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