CDW Government Inc. (CDW-G), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corp. that supplies IT solutions to governments and educators, announced the immediate availability of a 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 allowing the businesses to use CDW-G’s e-commerce, service and distribution capabilities. Since the inception of the consortium, members have been awarded more than $125 million in federal contracts. Members can also pursue opportunities with CDW across its entire spectrum of government and commercial business customers.

“The amount of federal contract business going to the Small Business Partner Consortium members in 2008 grew almost 30 percent over 2007, marking the consortium’s most productive year ever,” said Chris Rother, group vice president for CDW-G. “The remarkable growth highlights the success of this approach to partnership. The consortium aids federal agencies in achieving their small business contracting goals and enables our small business partners to expand their relationships with federal agencies – and, increasingly, with state and local government agencies, educational institutions and commercial businesses as well. CDW-G, in turn, expands both its federal contracts base and its roster of superior IT services companies.”

The Small Business Partner Consortium includes 14 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, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps, have taken advantage of the consortium to purchase technology products and services.