WIPP National Partner of the Month – September 2016

Angela Harpalani, CEO of Dimensional Concepts, LLC

We sat down with Angela to hear a little bit more about her business and her relationship with WIPP.

1.Tell us a little about Dimensional Concepts and its mission.

Dimensional Concepts, LLC (DCL) provides solutions and services in Business Intelligence, Data Analytics, Data Integration, Policy Analysis, and Resource Management Support.

Our mission is to empower our customers with actionable knowledge to achieve their organizational goals.

2. How have your company got into the Federal Contracting? What is the biggest lesson learned working with the Federal Government?

Dimensional Concepts got into Federal Contracting as a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). We have been a contractor to them for over 8 years. Before Northrop Grumman our work was commercial – CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, World Bank and TD Ameritrade. Later we teamed with another Veteran Owned firm to win some work with the Department of Defense and then team with another woman business to win CMS Sparc.

The biggest lesson learned is to not become a SBA 8(a) firm until you have an in-depth understanding of government contracting and have developed an extensive list of contacts within the agencies that you are targeting.

3. Do you have any tips you would like to share with other women pursuing Federal Contracts?

My tips would be to make sure that you understand how acquisitions work for your target agencies because they are somewhat different when it comes to how they buy.  And building relationships will be key in building your business.

4. Have you encountered any challenges you had to overcome as a professional business woman and if so, what have you learned from them?

One challenge that I see is women don’t always help each other like men do for other men. I think that our goals should be to team with other women businesses and to support each other in growing our leadership skills and businesses.

5. Do you have a success story that you are particularly proud of? Tell us about it!

Most of the time when we win a contract, we call the local shelter or a veteran organization to see if there are families or individuals that we can support by paying their first month rent and deposit fees. We have done 5 families and 2 individuals so far and hope to do 1-2 more this year. We usually work with Cornerstones’ Embry Rucker Community Shelter in Reston, VA because of their tag line, Hope for Tomorrow Today.

6. Tell us about your experience as a WIPP member. What resources/value has WIPP provided that has been helpful to you and your company?

As a WIPP member, the organization has given me a better understanding how politics play into regulations that effect our businesses. I appreciate WIPP’s support in going to our politicians to represent the concerns of women businesses.