BASIC PROGRAMS FOR SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS, WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

In the conduct of national and defense policies for small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business, the Department of Defense (DoD) has developed programs utilized by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Logistics Agency, and other agencies, as follows:

Source identification is concerned with generating new small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business sources of supply for DoD requirements. Also, it involves locating qualified small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned business firms to assist them on how to market their products or services to DoD.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) assists the DoD by providing additional sources developed through their many programs and contacts with small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business firms. The SBA, as part of their active outreach effort, has developed the Procurement Marketing and Access Network (PRO-Net). PRO-Net is an electronic gateway of procurement information for and about small businesses. It is a search engine for contracting officers, a marketing tool for small firms, and a "link" to procurement opportunities and relevant information. It is designed to be a "virtual" one-stop-procurement-shop. More information on PRO-Net can be found on SBA's web site at (http://www.sba.gov).

Small business firms must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database in order to receive solicitations and to obtain payment of any invoices. Registration in this database can be accomplished through the World Wide Web network by accessing the CCR Web Site, http://www.ccr.gov. If you need additional assistance contact the CCR Assistance Center at 1-888-227-2423.

Under certain conditions, the buying activity is authorized to set-aside procurements, either in whole or in part, for competition restricted to small business concerns. In general, these set-asides can only be made when there is a reasonable expectation that two or more qualified small business concerns are likely to bid. This procedure is necessary to assure adequate competition.

The SBA is authorized to enter into contracts with federal agencies and to subcontract performance of those contracts to small, socially and economically disadvantaged businesses. The DoD participates in this program by offering requirements to the SBA for subcontracting with firms approved by the SBA for participation in its Section 8(a) Business Development Program. For additional information about the 8(a) program, contact your nearest SBA regional office. Lists of these offices are provided in the back of this publication. In addition, the DoD has a special program involving a five percent goal for small disadvantaged business, historically Black colleges and universities and other minority institutions. In conjunction with this, there is special technical assistance under certain circumstances.

The DoD requires that its prime contractors make the maximum use possible of small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business firms in its subcontracting program. The DoD uses a special subcontracting clause in contracts with large business under certain conditions (i.e., when in excess of $500,000 dollar or $1 million for construction, and with a potential for subcontracting). When these conditions are met, large business prime contractors must establish a plan designed to maximize the participation of small, small disadvantaged business and women-owned small business concerns as subcontractors. DoD and SBA personnel make periodic reviews at contractors' plants to check compliance with this program. Annually, the DoD publishes a directory entitled, SUBCONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES WITH DoD MAJOR PRIME CONTRACTORS, which lists alphabetically by state all the prime contractors having subcontracting clauses in their contracts. This directory lists prime contractor by operating division and address, to include the name and telephone number of the Small Business Liaison Officer, an employee of the contractor designated to assist small business firms. This directory is also on the World Wide Web. The address is: (http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu), under "Publications".)

These conferences are held in conjunction with other federal agencies in order to provide an opportunity for small business to meet with procurement specialists from military and civilian agencies, as well as federal prime contractors. Procurement specialists inform businesses on (l) federal procurement and contracting processes; (2) aids and services available to business; and (3) opportunities to sell to federal agencies and prime contractors. Information about these conferences can be founded on the World Wide Web at (http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu).

Each DoD procurement office and contract management office has the responsibility to counsel and assist small business, small disadvantaged business, and small women-owned business firms on any problem they may have in understanding procurement regulations and practices, determining the appropriate buying office for their product, or acquiring pertinent data on present or future DoD procurements. The DoD Small Business Specialists listed in this directory performs this function. This directory is on the World Wide Web at: www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu, under "Publications".

FedBizOpps (FBO)

FedBizOpps (FBO) - is the single government point-of-entry (GPE) for Federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. Government buyers are able to publicize their business opportunities by posting information directly to FedBizOpps via the Internet. Through one portal - FedBizOpps (FBO) - commercial vendors seeking Federal markets for their products and services can search, monitor and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire Federal contracting community. Even though FBO accommodates buyer submissions using different Internet protocols (SMTP, FTP, HTTP) for communications, it employs a standard data exchange protocol, which was developed in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) - see (http://www.acqnet.gov/far/), Subpart 5.2, Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) and General Services Administration (GSA) have field offices in many cities. A list of the SBA and GSA offices can be found in back of this publication. These offices are equipped to assist business firms in locating opportunities to participate in federal procurement.

Other Federal Agencies' Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Office also offers small business information on procurement opportunities, guidance on procurement procedures, and identification of both prime and subcontracting opportunities. These offices are also listed at the back of this directory.