U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Recruiting, Retaining and Honoring a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People

Small Business Program

Small Business Office Strategic Plan

Vision

Small businesses become the suppliers of choice for OPM acquisitions.

Mission

Establish a world-class small business program at OPM by:

1. using the authorities of small business legislation to expedite the acquisition process in order to
2. maximize the use of small businesses that provide the best value to OPM.

Strategic and Operational Goals

Assure that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Utilization and Policy (OSDBU and Policy) carries out the functions and duties in sections 8, 15, and 31 of the Small Business Act, and Part 19 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), taking such actions as may be authorized in order to ensure compliance with existing statutory and regulatory directives, the FAR, and agency policies:

1. Develop, implement, and manage an effective program for using small, small-disadvantaged, woman-owned, HUBZone, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses in prime contracts and in subcontracts.
2. Interpret and implement FAR changes, SBA regulation changes, and OPM senior management decisions and directives that affect OPM's small business program, and develops new or revised procedures to ensure compliance.
3. Develop, manage, and implement policies and procedures that will lead to greater participation by small businesses in OPM's contracts. As a minimum this will include:
   • Revision of the current Contracting Policy on the OPM Small Business Program;
   • Preparation of a Contracting Policy on Subcontracting; and
   • Preparation of a Contracting Policy establishing an OPM Mentor-Protégé program.
4. Develop tools, templates, formats and samples to assist acquisition personnel in preparing contract documentation related to the small business program.

Obtain the highest level of support for the OPM small business program:

1. Obtain the OPM Director's signature on two letters supporting OPM's small business program, one as the forward to a revised "OPM Contracting Opportunities" booklet, and the other as an open letter to all OPM employees.
2. Prepare a briefing on the small business program for presentation to OPM's program offices and the Contracting Group. The briefing will explain the structure and operation of OPM's small business program, and include information on the 8(a) HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, and women-owned small business preference programs.

Work closely with SBA and the OSDBU and Policy Council on all matters related to OPM's small business program:

1. Join the OSDBU and Policy Council and participate in all of their meetings;
2. Participate in all SBPAC meetings
3. Attend other SBA-sponsored events of interest;
4. Respond to all SBA-required reports on a timely basis.

Establish a webpage on OPM's public website to assist small businesses in dealing with OPM.

1. Survey the webpages of other Government agencies to find good format and content features.
2. As a minimum, include in the OPM webpage such features as:
   • A title that will let small businesses know we are interested in doing business with them, like "Small Business Outreach" or "Small Business Welcome."
   • A user-friendly format.
   • An updated "OPM Contracting Opportunities" booklet, including an up-to-date forecast of contracting opportunities for the next five years.
   • A "subcontract network" to allow businesses to exchange information on subcontracting with each other.
   • Links to other websites of potential interest, such as the assistance resources available from SBA and SBA's subcontracting opportunities list.
   • Information on how to contact the D/OSDBU and Policy, which will be a special e-mail address.
3. Publicly announce the webpage on Federal Business Opportunities and other media as appropriate.

Establish an outreach program to meet small businesses interested in OPM acquisition:

• Set aside a certain amount of time each week for meeting with small businesses;
• Establish an easy-to-use capability for scheduling meetings through the OSDBU and Policy website;
• Invite acquisition personnel to attend the outreach sessions.
• Use the outreach sessions as a method of performing market research for acquisitions in the planning stage.

Establish a Mentor-Protégé Program, using as a model the program in place at the Department of Homeland Security:

1. Identify willing and eligible Mentor and Protégé companies. (Mentors can be any large or small business; Proteges are small businesses.) Use the OSDBU and Policy webpage of OPM's public website as the primary means for identifying these companies, but include any current OPM contractors that are willing to participate.
2. Help the Mentor and Protégé contractors develop and sign an agreement setting forth the Protégé's needs and describing the assistance the Mentor is committed to provide to address those needs. These include: management, financial and/or technical assistance, loans and/or equity investments, cooperation on joint venture projects, or subcontracts under prime contracts being performed by the Mentor; and
3. Monitor evaluate the performance of the Mentor and Protégé under their agreement on at least a yearly basis.

Provide OPM acquisition staff with the tools necessary to identify and use small businesses in OPM acquisitions:

1. Establish a presence on THEO as part of the Contracting Group's webpage, to offer resources for helping users to better understand the small business program and to efficiently identify and use small businesses in acquisitions.
2. Keep acquisition staff informed of OPM's small business goals and its actual performance in meeting these goals.
3. Publish an e-mail newsletter offering information on new initiatives in the small business program, tips for more efficiently finding and using small businesses, and other information of interest.

Work with OPM acquisition staff through the life cycle of each acquisition to assure maximum participation of small businesses in OPM acquisitions:

1. Establish a team of small business advocates in the program offices to work with acquisition personnel in those offices to implement all aspect of the small business program and foster increased participation by small businesses in OPM acquisitions.
2. Participate in acquisition planning for all major acquisitions, and other acquisitions as requested by OPM management, and in preparing the Agency Acquisition Plan.
3. Assist program offices in conducting market research aimed at identifying potential small business sources.
4. Advocate set-asides for 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, women-owned, or small business in general, whenever practicable.
5. Review acquisition strategies to assure that small business has been given maximum opportunity, and prevent contract bundling that reduces the opportunities for small business participation;
6. Identify and work to remove any impediments preventing full participation by small businesses in OPM acquisitions.
7. Implement an awards program to recognize those individuals or groups who have furthered the success of the small business program in a noteworthy way.

Work with OPM acquisition staff to assure that OPM's prime contractors meet their subcontracting responsibilities:

1. Maintain an up-to-date subcontracting plan template with easy access for Contracting Group to use in applicable solicitations and contracts with large businesses.
2. Establish a procedure to assure that the subcontracting plan template is used in applicable solicitations and contracts.
3. Assist Contracting Group personnel with review of subcontracting plans submitted by contractors.
4. Assist acquisition staff in using the Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS).
5. Establish a procedure to assure that contractors with subcontracting plans are maintaining the necessary information in the Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS).

Take all appropriate action to assure that the contracting data entered into the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) is coded accurately with regard to award to small businesses.

1. Implement new, or revise existing policies and procedures to assure accurate coding and review/verification of FPDS data.
2. Participate as appropriate in the review and verification of FPDS data to assure accuracy with regard to small business coding.