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Show HILLTOP TIMES Hill top 4 T IME S January 29, 2015 AFMC exceeds Air Force small business goals for fiscal 2014 BY STACEY GEIGER Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — In 2014, and for the first time since 2005, Air Force Materiel Command exceeded its goal for awarding contracts to small businesses. The fiscal year 2014 small business goal was 10.41 percent of contracts awarded, and AFMC achieved 12.03 percent, with $3.7 billion awarded to small businesses. "The hard work and efforts of senior leaders, small business specialists and contracting offices in the field have contributed to this AFMC success," said AFMC Director of Small Business E. Jean Smith. The AFMC Small Business program ensures that the command maintains a competitive edge and that small businesses can obtain a fair share of federal contract dollars. Each year, the Air Force Small Business office establishes a Small Business Senior Leader Performance Expectation for each command. AFMC managed approximately 65 percent of the Air Force contracts and 46 percent of the Air Force small business prime awards in 2014. "Fiscal 2014 started with budget cuts, and total obligations across AFMC were also down from the previous year. Although total obligations were decreased, we obligated more of that portion to small businesses," she said "Initiatives went out that were signed by AFMC Commander Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger in January 2014 to ensure we were maximizing competition and increasing small-business opportunities," Smith said. Smith also increased communication with industry by providing no-cost outreach events throughout the year. These events offered opportunities for the small-business program and industry to have candid and open discussions about challenges See EXCEEDS I Page 11 DOD Seeks 10-year extension of small-business mentoring program department money, he said By CLAUDE I I E ROULO DOD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON D.C. — The Defense Department intends to request a 10-year extension of a program that improves the ability of socioeconomically disadvantaged small businesses to compete for defense contracts, the program's manager said last week. The Small Business Mentor-Protege Program began in 1991 as a way to foster small businesses and improve technology transfer between the Defense Department and industry, Robert Stewart said in a DOD News interview. Despite having been in existence for nearly 25 years, the program is still categorized as a pilot and must be reauthorized in a National Defense Authorization Act every few years, he said Stewart said that through regular outreach with industry representatives, his office has learned that the periodic reauthorization give the impression that the program isn't permanent. This has a chilling effect on participation — particularly as the reauthorization period approaches, he said. "Whenever we're about a year, year and a half out from an authorization — since it's a pilot program and it's still crafted in language as a pilot program — industry does what's called a chilling-off," Stewart said. From the perspective of a business owner, he said, "If I'm not sure something's going to be reauthorized, I'm going to be less apt to put business development dollars into helping facilitate small business." Extending the program's authorization period would provide stability, reassure industry and save the How to participate Small businesses seeking to become prime contractors with the department first choose a mentor from one of the more than 50 larger companies participating in the program, he explained. Part of that selection process is ensuring that the strategic goals of the two companies align, Stewart noted. "We try to put them in a position to be as successful as possible," he said The larger company provides training and mentorship, and in exchange, receives credit toward its small-business contracting goals, Stewart said If the training is provided through a procurement technical assistance center, a small business development center, minority institution or a historically black college or university, the company can claim up to four times the amount spent for credit toward its actual small-business participation levels. The agreements may not last longer than three years, and once an agreement is fulfilled, the small business graduates from the program and is able to serve as a prime contractor for DOD contracts. "Now you have a small business who's a prime contractor (and) whose overhead is significantly lower than your traditional government contractors," Stewart said. "They can do the exact same work, sometimes faster, sometimes cheaper, oftentimes better than larger, more cumbersome agencies or entities." This is a win-win situation for industry and the Defense Department, Stewart said Larger businesses now have a pool of capable, responsive partners with which to team up and seek defense contracts, while small businesses gain better-trained employees and, by piggybacking on the capabilities of their larger partner, they can compete for contracts that they otherwise wouldn't have been able to support. "It works out in a lot of areas," he said "We're helping grow the manufacturing-industrial base by ensuing that we're going through our (procurement technical assistance centers), small business development centers, minority institutions and (historically black colleges and universities), but also identifying tech transfer companies that allow the United States government to be able to fight the threat that the Googles, the Amazons, the Microsofts, the Oracles face every day." The way ahead "One of the things that we're looking for going forward ... (is that) we want to focus on the evaluation and criteria and factors to drive contracting commands across the DOD enterprise to utilize Mentor-Protege as a way to meet those subcontracting small-business participation goals," Stewart said To accomplish this, he said, the Office of Small Business Programs plans to develop a defense acquisition regulation that would give participants in the Mentor-Protege Program greater weight during the bid solicitation process. "You're going to get credit toward being already involved in DOD — you know DOD's business, you've already got an established working relationship with the DOD," Stewart said For more information about small business opportunities at Hill AFB, call 801-777-4143. REALISTIC MARBLE & TRUSTONE CUSTOM INSTALLATIONS Tub Surround • Showers Vanities & Mirrors • Solid Surface Window Sills • Shower Doors 0 F. Any Installation of I $300 or more I I Must have coupon at time of Estimate. Expires 2-28-15 I I 801-389-6363 • 1339 W. 3300 S. 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