This year will
bring unique challenges to the NASA Office of
Small Business Programs, including the ongoing administration transition. While
we are prepared to carry on serving the NASA small business community and the incoming
leadership, I’d like to take a moment to thank former NASA Administrator
Charles Bolden. Since 2009, his recognition of the contributions that small
businesses make to NASA has allowed us to grow our small business base and achieve
critical mission successes. Both the agency and I will miss his steadfast
leadership and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.
We are ready to
face the challenges of 2017 head on. It currently appears that NASA surpassed
our negotiated FY16 Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) goal; however, we will
fall short of achieving the statutory goals for Historically Underutilized
Business Zone (HUBZone), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Service-Disabled
Veteran–Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), and overall Small Business goal.
In an effort to
achieve these goals in the future, NASA developed a Small Business Improvement
Plan for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. Moving forward, we will continue to focus
on the following initiatives:
1. Advocacy:
Promote small business programs through advocacy and collaborative
efforts with internal and external partners/stakeholders.
2. Outreach:
Promote small business awareness and participation, utilizing innovative
techniques at non-traditional venues in geographically targeted areas, to
enhance all categories of small business.
3. Small Business Sub-Category Improvement: Improve Agency performance in small business
subcategories by identifying, increasing, and promoting small business prime
contracting opportunities.
In addition to
the above initiatives, we will continue to discover innovative ways of reaching
our small business base. A prime example is our ongoing HBCU/MSI Technology
Infusion Road Tour with the NASA Office of
Education and the Space
Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The Road Show is designed to assist
educational institutions integrate new technology that supports the Agency’s
mission while aiding NASA in making and exceeding our 1% goal for Historically
Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Serving Institution. I was excited to attend
our first successful Road Show stop of the year last week at the University
of Nevada Las Vegas.
We will look
back on 2016 with fond memories and face 2017 with determination. Happy New
Year from all of us here at the NASA Office of Small Business Programs. We look
forward to working with you.
