CDW-G Issues RFP Seeking Small Business Partners
Company Seeks Services Firms to Partner on Federal Information Technology Contracts

HERNDON, Va. – May 24, 2010 – CDW Government LLC (CDW-G), a leading source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to governments and educators, today announced an immediate request for proposals (RFP) soliciting small businesses to partner with CDW-G on Federal business opportunities.

Successful respondents will join CDW-G's Small Business Partner Consortium, which was established in 2003 to help small businesses win IT contracts with Federal agencies by enabling access to CDW-G’s service and distribution capabilities, as well as the company's dedicated account managers, technology specialists and engineers. Since the inception of the consortium, members have been awarded more than $210 million in Federal contracts.

"Small businesses won $78.5 million Federal contract dollars in the last 12 months via the consortium, illustrating the power of partnership in bringing opportunities to small businesses," said Andy Lausch, vice president of Federal sales for CDW-G. "The Small Business Partner Consortium aids Federal agencies in achieving their small business contracting goals and enables our small business partners to expand their relationships with Federal agencies. CDW-G, in turn, expands both its Federal contracts base and its roster of superior IT services companies."

The Small Business Partner Consortium currently includes 12 companies that can bid for contracts with CDW-G as a part of their team. Defense and civilian agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps, have taken advantage of the consortium to purchase technology products and services.

Through its RFP, CDW-G aims to enhance the consortium by awarding new partnership agreements to several small businesses. Under the agreements, these partners may issue purchase orders to CDW-G to fulfill contract requirements.

Small business contracting opportunities continue to be a government wide priority. In his April 2010 memorandum on Federal contracting opportunities for small businesses, President Obama wrote, "In recent years, the Federal government has not consistently reached its small business contracting goals. Although we have made some progress...more work can and should be done." The executive order calls for the development of an interagency task force that will develop recommendations for increasing small business contracting opportunities, expanding mentoring programs and expanding outreach strategies to match small businesses with contracting opportunities.

Small businesses did a record $93.2 billion in business with the Federal government as prime contractors in fiscal year 2008, an increase of more than $10 billion over 2007. However, the percentage of Federal prime contracts fell short of the 23 percent government wide goal, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), with 21.5 percent of Federal prime contracting dollars awarded to small businesses that year.

CDW-G's RFP and any amendments to the RFP are posted online for download at www.cdwg.com/smallbizrfp. Small businesses are encouraged to monitor this Web site to ensure their proposals meet the requirements of the RFP and any amendments. Responses are due by 4 p.m. Central Time on June 25, 2010.

About CDW-G
A wholly owned subsidiary of CDW LLC, ranked No. 41 on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies, CDW Government LLC (CDW-G) is a leading provider of technology solutions for federal, state and local government agencies, as well as educational institutions at all levels. The company features dedicated account managers who help customers choose the right technology products and services to meet their needs. The company’s technology specialists and engineers offer expertise in designing customized solutions, while its advanced technology engineers can assist customers with the implementation and long-term management of those solutions. Areas of focus include notebooks, desktops, printers, servers and storage, unified communications, security, wireless, power and cooling, networking, software licensing and mobility solutions.

For more information about CDW-G product offerings, procurement options, service and solutions, call 1.800.808.4239, email cdwgsales@cdwg.com or visit the CDW-G Web site at CDWG.com.

About the CDW-G Small Business Partner Consortium
The Small Business Partner Consortium was established in 2003 to help small businesses win IT contracts with Federal, state and local government agencies by allowing the small businesses to use CDW-G's e-commerce, service and distribution capabilities. Vendors go through a competitive bidding process to be selected for the consortium. Successful bidders sign an annual CDW-G partnership contract that is not limited to any specific project. As consortium members pursue government contracts, they work directly with the customer and involve CDW-G when they need products to support their service engagements or when they want to offer their customers CDW-G's many value-adding offerings, such as custom PC configuration, asset tagging and software license tracking. CDW-G also refers business to member companies and conducts sales and marketing activities with consortium members.