A seminar held in Doha to help Middle East companies understand the process of contracts with the US Government had a good turnout, its organisers said.

US law firm Patton Boggs, which sponsored the seminar in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers, said nearly 150 Middle East region business representatives interested in conducting business with the US Government attended the event held at the Doha Marriott Hotel in early May. 
It described the seminar as successful and informative. Its theme was: “Contracting with the United States Government in the Middle East: Fundamentals of Understanding and Making the United States Procurement Process Work For You.”
The seminar provided an insider’s perspective on the contracting process offering substantive and timely advice for companies seeking to do business with the US Government in the Middle East. It featured a distinguished group of experts discussing both the strategic and practical aspects for contracting with the US Government.
Highlights included a presentation by Robert H Koehler, senior partner, US Government Contracts Practice Group, Patton Boggs and Col (Rtd) John C Garrett, senior US defense policy advisor, Patton Boggs. The presentation included an overview of the US Government contracting process, a discussion of the Fiscal Year 2005 Supplemental Budget for funds that the US Government is expected to spend in the region on various projects, examples of recent Request For Quotations (RFQs) and tips to help attendees navigate the contracting process.
Insightful remarks by Dr Khaled M Masoud, US Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, informed attendees about current and future projects in the region.
Nicholas A Sanders, US Government Contracts Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, rounded out the discussion with remarks about the accounting requirements once a contract is awarded and provided an overview of the audit process.
After the presentation and remarks, attendees participated in a valuable roundtable discussion with the speakers.
“The seminar provided those who attended a real opportunity to understand the US Government contracting process. They learned the importance of studying the needs of a project and how to take extra care when preparing a proposal. This hands-on advice is especially valuable since most of the attendees have not yet had the opportunity to do business with the US Government,” said Koehler.
Garrett added, “This was a great exercise in communication and raising the awareness of the opportunities to do business with the U.S. Government. It also provided everyone who attended the opportunity to build both personal and business relationships. We learned a great deal from the attendees and were very impressed by their extremely sophisticated, astute and knowledgeable questions.”  
In 2003, Patton Boggs became the first United States law firm to be licensed to practice law in Qatar.  The firm has long-standing client relationships throughout the Middle East and particularly in the Gulf region, all of which draw upon the resources of the Doha office. 
Patton Boggs plans to hold additional seminars in other Middle Eastern countries throughout 2005.
Based in Washington DC, Patton Boggs LLP is a national leader in public policy, litigation and business law, and is well known for its deep bipartisan roots in the national political arena.  The firm’s core practice areas are Public Policy and Regulatory, Litigation, Business and Intellectual Property.  With offices in Northern Virginia, Dallas, Denver, Anchorage, and internationally in Doha, more than 400 lawyers provide comprehensive, practical and cost-effective legal counsel to clients around the globe.
PricewaterhouseCoopers provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services for public and private clients. The company is a global organisation with member firm offices in 769 cities in 144 countries. With a combined headcount of more than 122,000, PwC firms rank amongst the world’s leading employers of highly skilled, professional people. Clients range from the world’s largest and most complex organisations to some of its most innovative entrepreneurs.