For agencies, contracting vehicles serve as a terrific one-stop shop for securing the goods and services they need fast, at competitive prices. But for small businesses, contracting vehicles can leave them shut out of federal opportunities. And while many point fingers at prime contractors for not extending opportunities to small business partners, the onus falls more squarely on the contracting officer to make space.
Indeed, contract vehicles can accelerate the acquisition process for complex programs with multiple parts. In fact, GSA officials believe agencies spent $2 billion more on schedules in 2015 than the $32.8 billion spent in 2014. As the role of contract vehicles and the GSA transforms, so must agency contracting officers to ensure small businesses are involved. Agency contracting officers should realize an office's decision to speed up the procurement process with a contract vehicle does not have to mean the end of small business involvement in that opportunity.
Utilizing small business set-asides when procuring an opportunity through a contract vehicle is a simple way to ensure small firms still play a role. While small businesses are represented on contract vehicles, even accounting for 80 percent of contractors with GSA schedules, many of the vehicles used for large complex opportunities limit the number of primes to a handful of big companies. These firms rarely find the need to pursue small business subcontractors unless there is a specific requirement from the government they must fulfill in order to win.
While the original contracting officer and the end user may not have the authority to write a small-business set-aside into a solicitation themselves, once it's passed to a contract vehicle, they can still be instrumental in shaping the opportunity to include small business. As a former DoD acquisition officer, I know this is only accomplished by communicating with industry on a regular basis. It's not enough to only hear from the private sector on industry days, or through sources sought notices. Legally, the only time contracting officers cannot talk to industry is after releasing a request for proposal, however some contracting officers will "play it safe" and totally refuse to meet with industry altogether. While it may reduce the contracting officer's workload, it does not ultimately help their career, the end-user, or the government.
Facilitating conversations with industry, and not just with well-known companies, can directly impact a program's success regardless of the procurement method. Innovative products and services are usually developed by smaller firms and make their way into the government through supply chain deals or teaming agreements with larger firms. By meeting with small companies individually, government officials provide these small companies with an opportunity to leverage their services and technology with the larger firms looking to prime the opportunities. This increases the chance of the end user receiving cutting-edge products and services while utilizing small business.
The most successful contracting officers I know take as many meeting as they can with industry because they understand the imminent benefits and that small firms. Meeting with small business can jump start a relationship that will be beneficial to everyone.
George Meyers is a managing partner at The Meyers Group.
