Update to NASA's Consolidated Acquisition Forecast

Last year, NASA Procurement introduced an incredible new tool for small businesses, the Consolidated Acquisition Forecast. This powerful Excel spreadsheet took forecasts from each of NASA’s center and put them in one place so that both small and large businesses had a quick, easy and useful way to see upcoming acquisitions at NASA. I’m happy to say that this forecast has quickly become an industry best practice and is only getting better with recent improvements.

Those familiar with the forecast will quickly notice some of the improvements that have been made. These changes stem from suggestions from the Small Business Council and NASA Vendor Database users. Updates include:

·      Updated information as of April 2012

·      A list of expiring contracts to help Centers identify requirements

·      Expanded “Acquisitions by Value” levels for more cost specificity

·      Updated chart formats for usability

·      Removal of the Product Service Codes (PSC)

The Acquistion Forecast can always be found at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/forecast/index.html or NASA's Office of Procurement and OSBP websites. We’re always looking to improve on ways to reach small businesses. The Acquisition forecast is a great way to view upcoming procurements, but if you have a suggestion on how we can make it even better, feel free to comment. 

2012 NASA Agency Honor Awards

Fiscal Year 2012 has brought some great accomplishments for NASA in the small business area. In August, the NASA Small Business Council (SBC) received a well-deserved Group Achievement Award during the 2012 NASA Agency Honor Awards Ceremony for outstanding performance in executing NASA’s Small Business Program in Fiscal Year 2011.

Displaying the SBC’s commitment to excellence, NASA exceeded its small business goal in FY11 with its highest prime small business metric, 17.7%, since 2006. The Council accomplished countless innovative endeavors for reaching out to small businesses across the country, including establishing several new Small Business Industry Days, Joint Counseling Sessions, and a renewed interest in the use of social media. I felt pride for each and every individual who made this award happen. Congratulations to all.

I am optimistic about Fiscal Year 2013. We face a higher Small Business goal than we have in previous years and there are always new challenges, but I have faith in our Agency acquisition community not only to meet our new goals, but to exceed them once again.  

NASA/KSC HUBZone Industry Day & EXPO 2012

The NASA/Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Industry Day and EXPO 2012 proved to once again be a great success. Held on Tuesday, October 16 in Port Canaveral, Florida, EXPO 2012 featured approximately 175 business and government exhibits, including representatives of NASA, the 45th Space Wing, prime contractors, and other Government agencies.

I spoke at the event about the importance of small business to attaining NASA’s mission. Our small business partners play a pivotal role at NASA every day and I hope that events like EXPO 2012 will help create new, successful partnerships in the future. The NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) and the Small Business Council attended the event as well.

We had a great showing of businesses and agencies interested in the small business program at NASA and were thrilled to talk to countless representatives at our booth and counseling sessions. These outreach events are invaluable to improving our small business programs. Nothing can compare to the face-to-face interaction between our small businesses specialists and the small business community.

I urge companies that are interested in doing business with NASA to attend these events for immeasurable networking and informational opportunities. Please take a look at NASA OSBP's website, http://osbp.nasa.gov/, for upcoming events. Finally, I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to KSC Director Robert D. Cabana and Small Business Specialist Larry Third for hosting another successful event. 

The speakers and presenters of EXPO 2012

NASA Small Business Specialists provide information at EXPO 2012 

Curiosity and NASA’s Mission to Mars: A Case for Small Business

The NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) is proud to announce the Curiosity and NASA’sMission to Mars: A Case for Small Business. This informational publication contains detailed accounts of the pivotal role small businesses played in the successful Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. From development to engineering, these businesses helped shaped one of the greatest scientific achievements of our time. This publication has been distributed and seen across the federal government, including the White House, as a shining example of what small businesses have to offer agencies nationwide. The PDF is available on the NASA OSBP website free of charge. Please feel free to review it and let us know what you think. 

MSL Curiosity Small Business Google+ Hangout

On September 19, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Small Business Administrator (SBA) Karen Mills held a Google+ Hangout to discuss the contributions that small businesses made to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity mission. The NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) was proud to have our own David Grove and Truphelia Parker in attendance. I would like to extend a personal thank you to Charlie Bolden, Karen Mills, Lauren Worley Emily Cain and all those involved for bringing focus to the pivotal role these businesses played in the success of MSL.  More information about these and other small businesses that worked on Curiosity can be found on the OSBP website or in our new Curiosity publication.