For the eighth consecutive year, the Defense Department achieved an “A” rating for performance against its small business procurement goals. Released on July 26, the annual U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) scorecard puts into context the critical role small businesses play in fulfilling the department’s mission.
During a virtual press event announcing the scorecard’s release, Dr. William A. LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, highlighted the contributions of the American workforce and small businesses throughout Fiscal Year 2021 alongside agency heads from the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
“Small businesses play a vital role in the American economy, and they are essential to the mission of the Department of Defense, enabling us to develop, deliver and sustain critical capabilities to our Warfighter,” LaPlante said. “DoD achieved our small business prime contracting goal for eight consecutive years. This shows our commitment to maximize opportunities for small businesses, which increases competition and strengthens our national and economic security.”
With more than $83 billion in obligations directly to small businesses, as well as another $50 billion subcontracted to small businesses from DoD’s large prime suppliers, the department continues its commitment to the defense small business industrial base.
Specifically, the department’s Mentor Protégé Program (MPP), which partners small business with larger companies – provides a robust platform for small businesses to grow as viable contributors to the defense industrial base. In the past five years, MPP has successfully helped hundreds of small businesses fill unique niches and become part of the military’s supply chain.
The department is also prioritizing the use of the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) to increase the number of small businesses across the industrial base. Administered by the department’s Office of Small Business Programs, in cooperation with state and local governments and nonprofit organizations, the PTAC program helps businesses pursue and perform under contracts with the DoD, other federal agencies, and with government prime contractors.
In concert with the scorecards release, SBA announced that the Biden-Harris Administration exceeded its small business federal contracting goal, awarding over a quarter—or $154.2 billion—of the total federal contracting funds to small businesses. Combined with $72 billion in subprime contracting goals, this historic spend has supported over one million jobs in the American economy.
To see the department’s scorecard, visit https://www.sba.gov/agency-scorecards/scorecard.html.
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