CLM 059 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
Small businesses operate in an environment that includes a variety of entities, each with
its own interests and influence on small business participation in Government
acquisition - Answers - Congress generates the legislation that impacts acquisition
regulations and policy.
Since the Depression of the 1930s, when Congress first enacted legislation to help
businesses recover from financial difficulties, Congress has enacted a number of laws;
such as the Budget Control Act of 2010 and an annual National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA), that support and promote small businesses. The Small Business Act of
1953 created national policy to provide maximum opportunity for small businesses to
participate in Government acquisitions as prime contractors and subcontractors.
Additionally, the Act officially established the Small Business Administration (SBA) to
implement the national policy. Other laws have established procurement goals for small
businesses in Federal acquisitions.
Assistance and Advocacy Groups
Advocacy groups such as Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, Small Business
Development Centers, and Chambers of Commerce provide assistance to small
businesses.
They educate organizations on how small businesses can help them accomplish
business with their agency. - Answers - Small businesses see the federal government
as potential customer that is rich with opportunities
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) / Office of Federal Procurement Policy
(OFPP)
As the President's executive agent for budget, finance, acquisition, and performance
management, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) promulgates many policies
that impact small businesses. These are issued as OMB circulars and memos. The
Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), which is part of OMB, provides overall
direction for Government-wide procurement policies, regulations and procedures to
promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in acquisition processes, including
Small Business Programs. - Answers - Federal Agencies
All Federal agencies in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government are charged
with maximizing opportunities for small businesses. Each agency has small business
and socioeconomic goals to achieve, including the Department of Defense (DoD).
DoD is the largest Federal agency with the greatest share of the Federal Government's
budget and thus the greatest responsibility for doing business with small businesses.
For the Government to achieve the Federal-wide small business goal, DoD must
achieve its small business goal.
,Small Business Administration (SBA)The Small Business Administration (SBA) creates
regulations that ensure that small business interests will be protected. SBA's
representatives are responsible for aiding, assisting, and protecting the interests of
small businesses in Government procurements. - Answers - Other Than Small Business
While large businesses, educational institutions, non-profits and other entities that are
not small businesses may view small businesses as privileged competitors, they also
recognize that there are benefits in partnering with small businesses in Government
contracts.
Small businesses are important to our nation; they strengthen the foundation of our
economic security and industrial base. Additionally, small businesses are just as
important to DoD. Because small businesses are nimble and can respond rapidly to our
needs, they can help DoD realize greater efficiency and flexibility, take advantage of
innovative technologies and approaches, and improve military readiness. - Answers -
Small businesses drive economic growth in the United States. The Small Business
Administration (SBA), Office of Advocacy, is the statistical arm of SBA. Part of their
mission is to conduct, sponsor, and promote economic research that provides an
environment for small business growth.
While they regularly publish reports and other documents on economic research and
statistics, their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is very helpful for learning
and communicating national small business contributions.
Summary statistics on tangible small business contributions on a per project or program
basis (cost, schedule and performance contributions) are difficult to track in DoD. There
is no centralized database to capture and report these types of small business success
stories. As Acquisition Professionals, you can help mitigate these challenges by sharing
your small business success stories (quantitative and qualitative) with your local SBP
and leadership. These success stories generally make it into public affairs articles,
annual performance appraisals/recognition, and your Component/agency annual inputs
for SBA's Scorecard, which SBA uses for measuring and grading agency small
business performance.
Despite the difficulties in manually collecting/reporting the tangible small business
contributions, the DoD is the most significant agency when it comes to influencing
Federal small business performance outcomes. This is - Answers - The SBA's
representatives are responsible for aiding, assisting, and protecting the interests of
small businesses in Government procurements.
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy provides overall direction for Government-
wide procurement policies, regulations, and procedures to promote economy, efficiency,
and effectiveness in acquisition processes, including Small Business Programs. -
Answers - Within the Department of Defense (DoD), small business begins with the
Department's Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP).
,The DoD OSBP, an arm of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) for
Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (AT&L), provides policy and oversight for the
Department's Small Business Programs through the operation of Component (Military
Departments and Other Defense Agencies) Small Business Program offices across
DoD.
OSBP's focus on small business utilization in acquisitions supports several key
initiatives within DoD, such as Better Buying Power (BBP). Small business acquisitions
contribute directly to achieving these DoD initiatives and objectives for improved
efficiency, increased innovation, and improved tradecraft in the acquisition of services. -
Answers - To achieve the DoD objectives for improved efficiency, increased innovation,
and improved tradecraft in the acquisition of services, DoD uses a variety of Small
Business Programs to support DoD's missions, which in turn ensures compliance with
national policy to maximize opportunities for small businesses.
Small Business Programs
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the Executive Branch Government agency
responsible for administering the Small Business Programs. The categories of Small
Business Programs include small business and small businesses in the socioeconomic
categories which are:
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) and 8(a)
Historically Underutilized Business Zone Small Business (HUBZone)
Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB)Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small
Business (SDVOSB)
Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)/Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned
Small Business (EDWOSB) - Answers - Mentor-Protégé Program
Through this program DoD encourages prime contractors to support the development of
technical, management, and other business capabilities of small businesses to enable
them to be viable DoD contractors.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer
(STTR) Programs
These programs provide research and development funding to small businesses to
promote development of innovative technologies. - Answers - Indian Incentive Program
Through incentive payments to the prime contractor, this program incentivizes
subcontracting to Indian-Owned Economic Enterprises or Indian Organizations.
Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF)
, This competitive, merit-based program accelerates the fielding of innovative
technologies into military systems. Its purpose is to stimulate innovation while reducing
acquisition or life cycle costs, addressing technical risks, and improving the timeliness
and thoroughness of test and evaluation outcomes. - Answers - The Small Business
Subcontracting Program
Under defined circumstances, requires that negotiated and sealed bid acquisitions
include a subcontracting plan requirement when subcontracting possibilities exist.
A primary overarching objective for the 2017 fiscal year of the Department regarding
small business is to access innovations and realize efficiencies that will result in
improved support of the warfighter. To achieve this objective, DoD's OSBP strives to
increase small business utilization in DoD acquisitions. One measure of success of
increased small business utilization is to achieve or exceed the department's small
business and socioeconomic program goals. - Answers - overarching objective: access
innovation, realize efficiencies and improve support to the warfighter
accomplished by:
increased small business utilization in DoD acquisitions
measured By:
DoD Prime contracting goals and DoD Subcontracting goals
DoD uses a number of small business programs to maximize opportunities for small
businesses to support DoD's missions. - Answers - Meeting or exceeding your
organization's assigned small business and socioeconomic program goals is one way to
demonstrate successful small business performance. Your organization's performance
is aggregated at the agency level to help in meeting or exceeding agency goals.
The phrase "Small Business Professional" encompasses a broad range of job titles,
such as Small Business Specialist, Procurement Analyst, and Small Business
Technology Specialist. Small Business Professional (SBP) responsibilities are
categorized into ten functional areas as shown below. In some instances, Small
Business Professionals specialize in one or more areas - Answers - Small Business
Legislation,
Regulation, and Policy
SBP's perform small business policy analysis to review influence and develop policies
related to small business utilization as well as create legislative proposals
SB Advocacy and Outreach
SBP's perform small business policy analysis to review, influence, and develop policies
related to small business utilization in acquisitions as well as create legislative
proposals. - Answers - Socioeconomic Program Management
Small businesses operate in an environment that includes a variety of entities, each with
its own interests and influence on small business participation in Government
acquisition - Answers - Congress generates the legislation that impacts acquisition
regulations and policy.
Since the Depression of the 1930s, when Congress first enacted legislation to help
businesses recover from financial difficulties, Congress has enacted a number of laws;
such as the Budget Control Act of 2010 and an annual National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA), that support and promote small businesses. The Small Business Act of
1953 created national policy to provide maximum opportunity for small businesses to
participate in Government acquisitions as prime contractors and subcontractors.
Additionally, the Act officially established the Small Business Administration (SBA) to
implement the national policy. Other laws have established procurement goals for small
businesses in Federal acquisitions.
Assistance and Advocacy Groups
Advocacy groups such as Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, Small Business
Development Centers, and Chambers of Commerce provide assistance to small
businesses.
They educate organizations on how small businesses can help them accomplish
business with their agency. - Answers - Small businesses see the federal government
as potential customer that is rich with opportunities
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) / Office of Federal Procurement Policy
(OFPP)
As the President's executive agent for budget, finance, acquisition, and performance
management, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) promulgates many policies
that impact small businesses. These are issued as OMB circulars and memos. The
Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), which is part of OMB, provides overall
direction for Government-wide procurement policies, regulations and procedures to
promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in acquisition processes, including
Small Business Programs. - Answers - Federal Agencies
All Federal agencies in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government are charged
with maximizing opportunities for small businesses. Each agency has small business
and socioeconomic goals to achieve, including the Department of Defense (DoD).
DoD is the largest Federal agency with the greatest share of the Federal Government's
budget and thus the greatest responsibility for doing business with small businesses.
For the Government to achieve the Federal-wide small business goal, DoD must
achieve its small business goal.
,Small Business Administration (SBA)The Small Business Administration (SBA) creates
regulations that ensure that small business interests will be protected. SBA's
representatives are responsible for aiding, assisting, and protecting the interests of
small businesses in Government procurements. - Answers - Other Than Small Business
While large businesses, educational institutions, non-profits and other entities that are
not small businesses may view small businesses as privileged competitors, they also
recognize that there are benefits in partnering with small businesses in Government
contracts.
Small businesses are important to our nation; they strengthen the foundation of our
economic security and industrial base. Additionally, small businesses are just as
important to DoD. Because small businesses are nimble and can respond rapidly to our
needs, they can help DoD realize greater efficiency and flexibility, take advantage of
innovative technologies and approaches, and improve military readiness. - Answers -
Small businesses drive economic growth in the United States. The Small Business
Administration (SBA), Office of Advocacy, is the statistical arm of SBA. Part of their
mission is to conduct, sponsor, and promote economic research that provides an
environment for small business growth.
While they regularly publish reports and other documents on economic research and
statistics, their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is very helpful for learning
and communicating national small business contributions.
Summary statistics on tangible small business contributions on a per project or program
basis (cost, schedule and performance contributions) are difficult to track in DoD. There
is no centralized database to capture and report these types of small business success
stories. As Acquisition Professionals, you can help mitigate these challenges by sharing
your small business success stories (quantitative and qualitative) with your local SBP
and leadership. These success stories generally make it into public affairs articles,
annual performance appraisals/recognition, and your Component/agency annual inputs
for SBA's Scorecard, which SBA uses for measuring and grading agency small
business performance.
Despite the difficulties in manually collecting/reporting the tangible small business
contributions, the DoD is the most significant agency when it comes to influencing
Federal small business performance outcomes. This is - Answers - The SBA's
representatives are responsible for aiding, assisting, and protecting the interests of
small businesses in Government procurements.
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy provides overall direction for Government-
wide procurement policies, regulations, and procedures to promote economy, efficiency,
and effectiveness in acquisition processes, including Small Business Programs. -
Answers - Within the Department of Defense (DoD), small business begins with the
Department's Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP).
,The DoD OSBP, an arm of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) for
Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (AT&L), provides policy and oversight for the
Department's Small Business Programs through the operation of Component (Military
Departments and Other Defense Agencies) Small Business Program offices across
DoD.
OSBP's focus on small business utilization in acquisitions supports several key
initiatives within DoD, such as Better Buying Power (BBP). Small business acquisitions
contribute directly to achieving these DoD initiatives and objectives for improved
efficiency, increased innovation, and improved tradecraft in the acquisition of services. -
Answers - To achieve the DoD objectives for improved efficiency, increased innovation,
and improved tradecraft in the acquisition of services, DoD uses a variety of Small
Business Programs to support DoD's missions, which in turn ensures compliance with
national policy to maximize opportunities for small businesses.
Small Business Programs
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the Executive Branch Government agency
responsible for administering the Small Business Programs. The categories of Small
Business Programs include small business and small businesses in the socioeconomic
categories which are:
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) and 8(a)
Historically Underutilized Business Zone Small Business (HUBZone)
Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB)Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small
Business (SDVOSB)
Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)/Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned
Small Business (EDWOSB) - Answers - Mentor-Protégé Program
Through this program DoD encourages prime contractors to support the development of
technical, management, and other business capabilities of small businesses to enable
them to be viable DoD contractors.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer
(STTR) Programs
These programs provide research and development funding to small businesses to
promote development of innovative technologies. - Answers - Indian Incentive Program
Through incentive payments to the prime contractor, this program incentivizes
subcontracting to Indian-Owned Economic Enterprises or Indian Organizations.
Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF)
, This competitive, merit-based program accelerates the fielding of innovative
technologies into military systems. Its purpose is to stimulate innovation while reducing
acquisition or life cycle costs, addressing technical risks, and improving the timeliness
and thoroughness of test and evaluation outcomes. - Answers - The Small Business
Subcontracting Program
Under defined circumstances, requires that negotiated and sealed bid acquisitions
include a subcontracting plan requirement when subcontracting possibilities exist.
A primary overarching objective for the 2017 fiscal year of the Department regarding
small business is to access innovations and realize efficiencies that will result in
improved support of the warfighter. To achieve this objective, DoD's OSBP strives to
increase small business utilization in DoD acquisitions. One measure of success of
increased small business utilization is to achieve or exceed the department's small
business and socioeconomic program goals. - Answers - overarching objective: access
innovation, realize efficiencies and improve support to the warfighter
accomplished by:
increased small business utilization in DoD acquisitions
measured By:
DoD Prime contracting goals and DoD Subcontracting goals
DoD uses a number of small business programs to maximize opportunities for small
businesses to support DoD's missions. - Answers - Meeting or exceeding your
organization's assigned small business and socioeconomic program goals is one way to
demonstrate successful small business performance. Your organization's performance
is aggregated at the agency level to help in meeting or exceeding agency goals.
The phrase "Small Business Professional" encompasses a broad range of job titles,
such as Small Business Specialist, Procurement Analyst, and Small Business
Technology Specialist. Small Business Professional (SBP) responsibilities are
categorized into ten functional areas as shown below. In some instances, Small
Business Professionals specialize in one or more areas - Answers - Small Business
Legislation,
Regulation, and Policy
SBP's perform small business policy analysis to review influence and develop policies
related to small business utilization as well as create legislative proposals
SB Advocacy and Outreach
SBP's perform small business policy analysis to review, influence, and develop policies
related to small business utilization in acquisitions as well as create legislative
proposals. - Answers - Socioeconomic Program Management
