In Aug. 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the federal government exceeded its small business federal contracting goal. The federal government has awarded $132.9 billion in federal contracts to small businesses, increasing $12 billion from fiscal year 2019. By law, 23 percent of government contracts must go to small businesses.
GovConWire will host its Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum on Oct. 20th to further discuss how small businesses can compete within the federal marketplace. Brian Barnes, associate administrator of the Office of Small Business Utilization (OSDBU) with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), will be featured as keynote speaker during the event.
To register for the Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum, as well as view future events, visit GovConWire Events.
The federal government has turned to small businesses to fulfill contract awards to ensure that small businesses are able to compete against large corporations. Small businesses also offer innovative ideas that boost economic development and job creation.
Within the government contracting (GovCon) landscape, federal agencies have increased its tools and processes of awarding contracts and providing opportunities to small businesses. There are a variety of databases offered to contractors to find federal contracts. Similarly, there are multiple databases that government agencies use to find contractors.
The SBA has recommended that small businesses in GovCon utilize the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS). DSBS is a database that government agencies use to find small business contractors for upcoming contracts, and has enabled small businesses to collaborate with other small businesses.
Offered through the SBA, the DSBS database has leveraged business information in the System for Award Management (SAM) to populate DSBS.
For small businesses to compete for federal contracts, it is essential that the business identifies the products or services they will sell, as well as the federal agency. Small businesses can consult with an SBA Procurement Center Representative (PCR) to assist with this process.
The government will procure services from women or minority-owned businesses to offer opportunities to disadvantaged socio-economic groups. If a small business is applicable, it should be certified by a state or national entity, such as National Association of Women Business Owners or the National Minority Supplier Council.
In addition, many federal agencies house an OSDBU or an Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) to identify opportunities to contract with small businesses.
The featured speakers during GovConWire’s Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum come from small businesses units across a variety of agencies, including NASA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).
The notable speakers will discuss procurement forecasts, which include contracting opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses. Once you’ve reviewed an agency forecast and used systems like the Federal Procurement Data System and USASpending.gov to identify opportunities at a specific agency, you can contact that agency’s small business office.
GovConWire’s Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum will host an expert panel, featuring Dwight Deneal, director of the Office of Small Business Programs with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Glenn Delgado, associate administrator of the Office of Small Business Programs with NASA.
Additionally, Sharon Ridley, deputy executive director for the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Darlene Bullock, executive director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will join the panel.
During the event, these notable executives will educate and inform small to midsize GovCon professionals on the current Federal Marketplace and FY21 opportunities. Additionally, the speakers will discuss how to navigate the GSA schedule and what industry can do to help. Join GovConWire’s virtual event to learn all about the latest topics within the federal marketplace.
To register for the Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum, as well as view future events, visit GovConWire Events.
