We often get asked the question, “How do
I do business with NASA?” One avenue that I always stress, that is often
overlooked, is subcontracting opportunities. Last year, or the first time since
I’ve been at NASA, subcontracting awards accounted for more dollars to small businesses
than prime awards. In fiscal year (FY) 2017, NASA awarded $5.5 billion to small
businesses. Subcontracting awards accounted for 51% of those awards.
Subcontracting provides you a path to
get your foot in the door with NASA by establishing past performance and a
relationship with NASA stakeholders. You’re able to learn the ins and out of
the agency while handling smaller, more manageable scopes of work. This is
especially important for new businesses that are just starting out.
This is where business development
becomes a key factor in your small business. You must build relationships with
prime contractors and demonstrate how you will help them achieve their goals
faster, more efficient or with better quality. Prime contractors attend many
government small business outreach events and should not be overlooked when you
are attending. You may be able to find information for small business liaison
officers (SBLO) on many company websites, as well.
The opportunities are out there. Over
800 small businesses worked on each the Orion and Space Launch System (SLS)
programs. Our large primes can’t do this work alone and are actively searching
for companies like yours to help achieve the NASA mission.
