DIRECTION: ‘MAIN STREET’
A HOST OF BENEFITS We can gain much through acquiring the services and products of small businesses. In fact, the small business program was established not just to give “the little guy” a chance to compete on a level playing field, but also to:
• Realize higher potential for best value and critical cost savings.
• Reduce reliance on sole-source con- tracts and increase fair and healthy competition.
• Increase our base of first-tier prime sup- pliers and direct product manufacturers for the warfighter.
• Increase product response times by reducing corporate layers and by simplifying coordination and commu- nications between the government and the prime supplier.
• Provide a higher quality of one-to-one direct customer support and bring cus- tomer service and support to a more personal level.
• Provide lower overhead with higher
potential cost savings to the government.
• Reduce the risk to America’s strategic defense industrial base, sustaining and providing responsible and responsive wartime surge capability at little or no additional cost.
• Provide mutually beneficial and positive social and economic impacts on local communities.
REMOVING OBSTACLES As successful as small businesses can be at providing what the Army needs, one of the issues that I hear small businesses discussing is the need to increase search visibility and small business aware- ness through proper North American Industry Classification System (NAICS, pronounced “nakes”) code assignments. Te problem with NAICS code assign- ments is that the system “was developed specifically for the collection and pub- lication of statistical data to show the economic status of the United States,” according to the NAICS website. Te “definitions were not developed to meet
the needs of procurement and/or regula- tory applications,” but they are used for that purpose.
Tis is a significant reason for the inabil- ity of small businesses to comprehend and effectively participate in the DOD acquisition process. It often leads to mutually missed opportunities for small businesses and DOD. Currently, small businesses have a difficult time finding the right information in order to make a bid on a contract. Te required pro- cess and language from the government pose disadvantages to small businesses. Large companies often have, as part of their business model, a department that specializes in government business development, contracting and proposals. Small businesses often lack the resources to invest in such resources.
Improving this process will benefit all businesses, small and large. Likewise, cre- ating an automated, online system with prompts, defined selections
and drop- MEET AND GREET
Reeg Allen, director of business development for RE2 Inc., demonstrates a TALON robot at an October 2015 Small Business Innovation Research event at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ. Increasing face- to-face interaction between small businesses and government might help expand small business opportunities even more than making automated processes more efficient. (Photo by Todd Mozes)
down menus could immediately increase small business competition by simplify- ing and reducing processing times for the source approval request and alternate source approval request. Additionally, standardized entries may allow for a much quicker approval process by using common terms and required regulatory information for contracts, by means of a drop-down menu. Providing a single point of contact or a site to check on the status of a contract as well as any antici- pated dates for approval and award of the contract would also attract small busi- ness. An automated system of this kind would allow interested small businesses to drill down into the requirements in more detail, to determine whether they have a viable opportunity to compete.
Finally, providing a face, instead of just a series of websites, may go a long way
140
Army AL&T Magazine
January-March 2016
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