ScanSource Launches Government Program For VARs

The program, Government Source, provides ScanSource VARs access to a number of public-sector resources, including a lead-generation service for opportunities presented by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The goal, said ScanSource POS & Barcoding President Jeff Yelton, is to lessen the distance between VARs and the best automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) and point-of-sale (POS) opportunities in the federal, state, local, health care and education markets.

"ARRA was approved in February, and so all of these people saw all of these dollars and decided to jump in, not realizing that in public sector, the procurement process is completely different, the time frames are completely different, and the amount of time and effort it takes for a VAR is completely different," Yelton said in a Channelweb.com interview. "We want to help them understand this process. You have to go through the minutiae to find out exactly where that money is going, what the terminology is and who the players are."

ScanSource's Government Source is the latest in a slew of distributor-led ARRA outreach programs designed to help VARs better understand and win deals through the stimulus and public sector in general.

"There's a lot that wasn't very clear a few months ago," Yelton said. "And at the time, only roughly 10 percent of our [VARs] had done business with state and local before. We're working to funnel information to VARs as soon as we get it, and get them focused on specific segments as much as possible."

ScanSource's Government Source Web siteincludes education and training resources, explanations of rules for public sector technology procurement and information on marketing opportunities. As part of the Government Source program, ScanSource POS & Barcoding is also offering lead-generation services to its VARs, and will soon kick off a series of Government Source Road Shows so ScanSource executives can visit with local resellers.

Despite how perceptions of the stimulus have evolved in the six-or-so months since its inception, Yelton said the best opportunities for VARs remain in state and local contracts.

"A lot of people didn't understand early on how much money is actually flowing to the states and agencies and not through the federal government," he said. "A lot also wanted to rush into a Department of Defense or Army contract where the numbers are huge. But those are very complex agencies with very complex requirements."

"You can get at those contracts too," Yelton added, "but you should skip going directly to the government itself in many cases and go to the large integrators instead. Let them know that you would be a good subcontractor underneath them. You can help a lot of these large integrators reach a full mix of business."