Let's Talk to the Government!
#003 - Who is the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) or Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP)?
As with anything Small Business related, we can find the answer in FAR Part 19. The government says in Part 19.201 that the reason is to be compliant with the Small Business Act, ensuring each agency with contracting authority establishes an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. The DOD took this a step further and redesignated it to the Office of Small Business Programs.
To boil this down, the government says in Part 19.202-1 that the government will encourage small business participation in acquisitions, Part 19.202-2 states the government will assist (to the extent possible) small business in locating resources in order to meet the agency’s small business participation requirements. Further, the DOD has released instructions to increase small business advantages in 2023.
Bottom line, Uncle Sam likes small business and will give you a leg up. Here are some links to the DOD, DHS, DoS, and NASA SB offices.
Small Business Highlight
Essential Network Security (ENS) Solutions, LLC is a cleared, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) providing IT and program management consulting. ENS’ customers include the Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC) and commercial sector providing innovative solutions with core competency in Identity, Credential and Access Management (ICAM), Software Development, Cyber and Network Security, System Engineering, and IT support. ENS is a current NGA MPP Protégé providing geospatial intelligence services including collection, analysis, and visual product creation. Our strong technical and management experts have been able to maintain a standard of excellence in their relationships while delivering innovative, scalable and collaborative infrastructure to our clients. Certified - ISO® 9001:2015, ISO 20000-1:2018, and ISO 27001:2013. If you are interested in partnering with ENS, reach out to Titus Ogunyemi! Drop ENS a follow on LinkedIn and check out their open positions if you are a job seeker!
What does the office do & Why should you engage?
· Corporate Marketing - Let the agency know you are interested in working with them!
· Market Research - SB Offices will assist internal acquisition teams in identifying companies with a capability they may need to procure.
· Customer Introductions – The office will facilitate introductions or provide contact information for federal buyers!
· Advocates – Should you fail to hear from a customer or acquisition professional, many SB specialists will assist you in getting an answer to your question or investigating why an opportunity may potentially be solicited as a Large Business opportunity instead of being set aside.
· Acquisition Strategy – After you respond to an RFI (wait 2+ weeks), the SB Office will generally have insight on whether the opportunity is going large business or small business set-aside. In addition, they may be able to tell you what the acquisition strategy might be, regarding where the opportunity will be posted i.e. sam.gov, an Agency vehicle, GSA MAS, GSA GWAC, etc.
When reaching out to via email, be sure to include a corporate introduction in the body of the email and attach any marketing materials. This should follow a similar format I mentioned in the first newsletter for introducing your company or the sample introduction letter below.
I recommend providing several dates and times you have available over the next couple of weeks; however, you may also find out the agency will only engage small businesses on specific days. Generally, you should receive a response within 2 or 3 business days. A response will typically include a link or briefing on how to do business with the agency with additional information regarding that particular agency’s forecast.
Remember! Best use case is develop a long term relationship and ask questions prior to a solicitation.
Preparation for your meeting – Develop the Call Plan
This week, Sherylyn Asch, Senior Dir. Of Capture at ICF, and I collaborated on SB office engagement. Sherylyn has been a long time SB advocate and mentor. I can’t thank her enough for her mentorship and helping to get me started in this industry! Drop her a follow, on LinkedIn!
When engaging the SB office, come at this to build a long-term relationship! We are not using the “I’m a small business, so therefore you should work with me” mentality. We are coming at this from a value and “subject matter expert” standpoint! Last week, we spoke about value to industry partners. We need to be able to present our subject matter expertise value to the government in our given sector. When engage, it is important, as with all relationship building, to ask smart questions and listen patiently. Don’t make the conversation all about you and your company, focus on the customer first, foremost, and always.
Research the agency prior to your meeting - Read the agency’s budget for the current FY to identify where your company is aligned to their problem set. Review strategic documents such as their 5-year plan and lines of effort to better understand where they are allocating funding and likely going to procure services or technology.
Review the Agency’s opportunity forecast and identify which opportunities you are interested in. If you have identified an opportunity, or office your potential customer is located, be prepared to ask about an introduction or for their contact information.
Different agencies conduct SB office introductions in many ways – 15min speed dating, half hour virtual conversation, or even an in-person meeting at their office. If you are participating in a 15min session, the event will likely be timed so plan accordingly!
Plan to open with personal introductions, and a quick(short/concise) overview of your company. Be sure to highlight the research you have done prior to the meeting, as SB specialists will likely lead the conversation to showing you where to find resources. By letting them know you did the due diligence, this will enable you time to focus on getting answers to your call plan questions.
Example Questions
· What Commands or Agencies use this SB Office to acquire services(May be outside clients)? What dollar value warrant does the agency have(important if engaging lower echelon DOD units)?
· What’s the best way to monitor opportunities other than sam.gov?
· How often is the agency forecast updated?
· What’s the best way to engage the requirement program management office/unit if I see an opportunity on a forecast?
· Are there specific agency or non-agency vehicles (GSA MAS or GWACs) the acquisition shop typically uses?
· Have you seen any set-aside direct awards utilized? (If so which types, SBA 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, Hubzone?)
· Which SB or LB companies have a lot of work with your agency OR does your agency utilize the Mentor Protégé Program? If so, are there LB or SB mentors you may be able to introduce me to?? OR Is there a company I might be able to speak with, to better understand how this agency procures work? (Remember, SB Specialists cannot recommend one company over another to you, so multiple ways of asking may be needed.)
· Are there any agency events that I should be aware of and plan to attend?
· Is there a published list of conferences the SB Office will be attending?
· What opportunities are you focused on – ask for an introduction or contact information for the program lead.
Always keep Meeting Minutes & Follow up!
Keep detailed notes on the conversations and details so that you’re not forgetting the conversation. Be sure to ask for strategic documents or recent industry documents such as forecasts if not previously provided. This will give you an opportunity to re-engage and ask questions. After the meeting concludes, be sure to send a follow-up email thanking them for their time and requesting any discussed items.
Remember, relationships are built – have a plan to email or call the SB specialist every 6 to 8 weeks to ensure they remember your company, corporate capabilities, and remain at the front of their mind. As marketing materials change, be sure to send them the updated documents, so they can add it to the internal acquisition database.
Plan to be where they will be!!! Engage them at conferences, AFCEA, INSA, or another industry event they mentioned. Another great way is to follow and engage with them or the agency’s SB office page on LinkedIn. Be sure to like or share posts. This will enable you to maintain touchpoints and keep up to date with what events they are attending!
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Great insight!