The Kansas City Government Contracting & Procurement (KCGCP) Forum will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 14 at the Kansas City Convention Center, 301 W. 13th St.

Hosted by the Human Relations Department of the City of Kansas City, the eighth annual event will offer important information for growing businesses seeking networking opportunities and face-to-face sessions between suppliers and customers of competitively priced products and services.

Signups will begin at 8 a.m. to meet with representatives of such participants as Kansas City Power & Light, Kansas City Southern Railway, the Environmental Protection Agency, Turner Construction, Truman Medical Center, the City of Kansas City’s Aviation and General Services departments, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Urban League of Greater Kansas City and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City.

The event’s keynote speaker will be Anne Beiler, celebrated founder of Auntie Anne’s Inc., the largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise with more than 1,200 locations.

A workshop devoted to procurement opportunities at Cerner will include information about the company’s $4.3 billion world headquarters project.

Registration to the KCGCP Forum is free. The cost is $40 to attend an awards ceremony luncheon honoring contractors and businesses that have shown commitment to developing minority entrepreneurship.

For more information about the KCGCP Forum and to pre-register, go to kcgcp.org.