DoD Small Business News

In The News

 

March 7, 2022 - New Pentagon strategy to bring in small businesses coming soon | DefenseNews.com

A new Pentagon strategy to maximize small business participation in defense contracting is in the works for this spring, defense officials told Defense News.


February 2022 - State of Competition in the Defense Industrial Base | Department of Defense Report

DoD’s small business programs play an instrumental role in diversifying the defense supply chain and bringing new entrants, specifically from underserved socio-economic groups, into the defense marketplace.


December 2, 2021 - FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Reforms to Increase Equity and Level the Playing Field for Underserved Small Business Owners | whitehouse.gov

At the June 1 centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, President Biden announced a bold new goal: increasing the share of contracts going to small disadvantaged businesses by 50 percent by 2025 – an unprecedented target projected to translate to an additional $100 billion to SDBs over 5 years. 


October 27, 2021 -  Memo from Secretary of Defense on Small Business Contracting | defense.gov

Small businesses are critically important to the DoD. The Department has a strategic interest in leveraging small business innovation and capabilities to address our global challenges and ensure mission success. Accounting for over 40-percent of the United States' gross domestic product, the small businesses driven by our communities are vital to our economic progress. 


October 14, 2021 - Why Small Businesses are Essential to U.S. National Security | defense.gov

Small businesses are the engines of the U.S. economy, the heartbeat of communities, and the sources of U.S. global economic strength. This is often heard from the nation's leaders, but what is not often heard is the importance of small businesses to national security, writes Farooq Mitha, Director of the DoD Office of Small Business Programs in this article orginially published on Business Insider.


September 8, 2021 - Leveraging the Capabilities of Small Businesses | defense.gov

DoD issued a federal register notice requesting comments and information from small businesses that are part of the defense supply chain or are interested in becoming a part of it. This information will help DoD to leverage the capabilities of small businesses to increase competition, strengthen domestic supply chains and support equity and inclusion in defense procurements.


September 1, 2021 - How Industry Can Continue Supporting DOD's National Security Priorities | defense.gov

At a keynote address to the 30th annual Pennsylvania Showcase on Commerce, the Deputy Secretary of Defense said the DOD wants to harness from the very best of America in sourcing a broad, diverse set of potential partners and suppliers — especially small businesses.


March 31, 2021 - Partnership Expands Opportunities for New and Small Businesses to Work With the Department of Defense, Expand National Security Innovation Base | defense.gov

New partnership links two DoD organizations, Office of Small Business Programs and the National Security Innovation Network, to establish an annual joint program plan to leverage their resources to achieve shared objectives.

OSBP and NIST Partner for Small Businesses

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on small business matters, and  U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (MEP) signed a memorandum of agreement on May 02, 2021 to collaborate on strengthening the national security of the small business industrial base.

The new partnership links two DOD organizations with a common mission to assist small businesses and  to achieve shared objectives:

  • Provide training and technical support to small-and-medium U.S. manufacturers engaged or planning to engage with the defense sector.
  • Promote and co-sponsor joint training events beneficial to national security, with an emphasis on cybersecurity for defense manufacturing.
  • Establish direct and consistent relationships at multiple organizational levels within both Parties to document and share complementary assistance best practices.  
  • Develop clear objectives, benchmarks and goals to measure success, added value, and synergy of collaborations between NIST MEP and OUSD(A&S) OSBP.

The OSBP and NIST partnership enables more DOD collaboration and support of small and medium manufacturers (SMMs). They will Collaborate to support the ongoing development and security of the Defense and Industrial Base.

This partnership will combine OSBP’s expertise in leveraging small businesses to close capability gaps for our armed forces with the MEP National Network.  The MEP operational base provides an opportunity for OUSD(A&S) OSBP to serve as a resource for the MEP Program of MEP Centers engages defense sector and defense-relevant manufacturing clients to promote and provide technologies, prototypes and products for National Security missions.