www.sdchamber.org

Economic Stimulus Grants Small Businesses More Opportunities to Contract With the Military

By Mike Nagy, Public Policy Coordinator

The Department of Defense (DoD) and the military continue to play important role in the region’s economy and remains of the few sectors immune to the current recession.  The DoD, which already account for one-quarter of the region’s job base and approximately one-third of the region’s economic output, stands to increase its economic contribution by means of the federal economic stimulus package. 

The Federal American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA), recently signed by the President, contains approximately $5-8 billion in new DoD spending in the San Diego Region.  Thus, many new opportunities to contract with the DoD will emerge for small businesses.

Contracting with small businesses has always been a key component in fulfilling the military’s mission.   Aside from the many new opportunities with the Marine Corps, the Navy, SPAWAR, and other DoD agencies, Naval Facilities Engineering South West (NAVFAC SW) offers an array of programs catered exclusively to small businesses. 

NAVFAC SW offers programs such as the MACC (Multiple Award Construction Contract), BOA (Basic Ordering Agreement), and the IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity) as well as offering design and guild contracts to small construction firms.  NAVFAC also requires large firms receiving contracts to subcontract with small business.

In fiscal year 08, NAVFAC awarded $878,497,955 (41%) of total program to small businesses.  To date in fiscal year 09, NAVFAC already has awarded to $483,028,114, or 48%, of its total program to small businesses.

NAVFAC SW continues in its outreach to inform the small business community about its many workshops, events, and services.  It offers one-on-one counseling sessions with firms and its small business specialist, and monthly group counseling sessions.  These two-hour information sessions assist small firms in locating and applying for NAVFAC SW contracts. 

NAVFAC SW will be at several upcoming events such as ‘Operation Opportunity,’ sponsored by the San Diego Supplier Development Council, on Tuesday, May 12, at the Handlery Hotel.  For more information on this event, visit www.sdsdc.org. 

NAVFAC and National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) will co-host the ‘Navy Gold Coast’ at the San Diego Convention Center on August 4 and 5, 2009.  To learn more about this event , visit www.navygoldcoast.org. 

NAVFAC SW held its first Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small business (SDVOSB) workshop in January 2009 with plans to schedule a second workshop – date and details are yet to be confirmed.

For more information about NAVFAC SW programs, contact Small Business Deputies Linda Ryan at (619) 532-2375 or Linda.ryan@navy.mil, Lora Morrow at (619) 532-2248 or lora.morrow@navy.mil, Dawn (Kim) Bourgeois at (760) 763-7345 or dawn.bourgeois@navy.mil, or Lee Saunders at (619) 532-3100 or lee.saunders@navy.mil.

For more information on DoD small business programs, visit the Chamber’s newly created Economic Stimulus web site at http://www.sdchamber-members.org/EconomicStimulus.htm.