Acquisition serves as a crucial enabler for advancing key public priorities, including but not limited to equity, sustainability, domestic sourcing, and supply chain risk management. The pivotal role played by our acquisition workforce within the broader acquisition system underscores the significance of providing them with robust support. Acknowledging and honouring the exemplary efforts of acquisition professionals, the Acquisition, Program Management, Small Business and Procurement Equity, and Sustainable Acquisition Excellence Awards spotlight those individuals who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to advancing the field of acquisition across the federal government. These prestigious awards, bestowed by the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC), were presented during the ACT-IAC ImagineNation Executive Leadership Conference.
Upon the issuance of Executive Order 13985, titled “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government,” Ms. Bullock identified a critical need for internal education (in-reach) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acquisition community and an augmented outreach to small businesses, particularly those from underserved groups. In response, Ms. Bullock pioneered innovative vendor outreach matchmaking events (VOMEs), an exclusive initiative within DHS. These events facilitate cost-free opportunities for small businesses across the nation to engage with other participating companies, fostering discussions on potential collaborative ventures. Personally engaging with large businesses, Ms. Bullock secured the participation of over 50 entities for the inaugural VOME.
Ms. Bullock’s dynamic leadership, coupled with her comprehensive in-reach and outreach strategies, culminated in DHS achieving its 14th consecutive grade of “A” or higher on the Small Business Administration Procurement Scorecard. Notably, fiscal year 2022 marked the seventh consecutive year receiving an “A+,” a remarkable achievement since fiscal year 2016. DHS, standing as the fifth-largest spending agency with the third-largest federal workforce, notably boasts the most impressive small business track record among federal agencies. In fiscal year 2022, DHS not only surpassed all small business prime goals but also emerged as the sole top spending agency to achieve this feat.
Under Ms. Bullock’s strategic guidance, DHS exceeded its fiscal year 2022 small business prime goal of 34.50%, reaching an impressive 39.51% of obligations directed towards small businesses and underserved communities. This accomplishment stands as the highest small business percentage achievement in the department’s history, translating to a substantial $9.1 billion awarded to small businesses—surpassing the fiscal year 2021 figure by over $1 billion. Moreover, DHS allocated 17.66% of contracts to small, disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), surpassing the 17.0% goal and resulting in a noteworthy $4.1 billion awarded to SDBs—an increase of $500 million from fiscal year 2021. Ms. Bullock’s strategic initiatives also yielded significant achievements in the women-owned small business (7.81%), service-disabled veteran-owned (6.61%), and HUBZone (5.20%) categories, each translating to obligations exceeding $1 billion.
