The OSBP is the advocate for small business utilization within USSOCOM and an important source of information tailored to assist small businesses. This office should be one of a small business's first contacts when initiating contact with USSOCOM.

The USSOCOM OSBP has dedicated Small Business Specialists assigned throughout the Command who are dedicated to helping your business. The OSBP will explain known requirements and help you understand who buys what within the Command and can assist you in locating other likely markets within DoD and strategies for accessing those markets. Requests for capability statements should be sent to the Technical Industrial Liaison Office at: tilo@socom.mil.

The DoD and USSOCOM are continually striving to increase the number of contract awards to small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, woman-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and historically underutilized business zones. We are also interested in services offered by historically black colleges and universities and minority institutions.

You may contact Mr. Christopher Harrington, Director, Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) at christopher.harrington@socom.mil for visit requests and small business concerns at telephone (813) 826-9475 or the HQ OSBP and HBCU/MI Office at smallbusiness@socom.mil or 813-826-7338.

The US Postal Service or Express Mail Address is:

USSOCOM Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP)
Attn: SOAL-M
7701Tampa Point Blvd.
MacDill AFB, FL 33621-5323
 
Communications 
 
SMALL BUSINESS AND INNOVATIVE RESEARCH (SBIR)

USSOCOM is an active participant in the Federal SBIR Program mandated by the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 and re-authorized under P.L. 106-554. The objectives of the program include the following: stimulating technological innovation in the private sector, strengthening the role of small businesses in meeting DoD R&D needs, fostering and encouraging participation by small and disadvantaged businesses in technological innovation, and increasing commercial application of DoD-sponsored research or R&D results. For the purpose of the SBIR program, a small business is defined as any firm having fewer than 500 employees.

DoD publishes two SBIR solicitations per year. Draft solicitations are released on the Internet during the first week of May and October. During this time, all prospective offerors are strongly encouraged to contact the topic authors, via e-mail or telephone, to discuss any questions they may have concerning the topic. The purpose of allowing open discussion between topic authors and offerors during this time is to ensure that each prospective submittor receives an equal opportunity to discuss their proposal. Once the solicitations are issued in July and December, topic authors are no longer permitted to hold open discussions with the offerors. Currently USSOCOM is placing all of its SBIR topics in the October/December RFP cycle.

DoD invites qualified firms with strong R&D capabilities in science and engineering, in the topic areas described in the SBIR solicitation, to participate. DoD announces the availability of SBIR solicitations on the FebBizOpps at http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. The DoD SBIR web site can be found at http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir.

Questions about USSOCOM's SBIR efforts should be directed to USSOCOM's SBIR Program Manager at (813) 826-4578.
 
HUB Zone

A HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) is an economically distressed area, as determined by the Small Business Administration using income data from census inputs and unemployment information.

Nationally, HUBZone areas include:

• 7,000 Urban Census Tracks
• 900 Rural counties
• Lands within the boundaries of an Indian Reservation

VOSB Program

Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999

Purpose is to expand existing small business programs and establish new assistance programs for veterans who own and operate small business firms. This act recognizes that many veterans and/or reservists have been negatively impacted by the numerous military deployments in the past 10 years. It allows active duty reservists to defer repayment of loans when they are on active duty. The period of deferral shall begin when the eligible reservist is ordered to active duty and shall terminate 180 days after the reservist is released from active duty. The act also establishes the Associate Administrator of Veterans Business Development within the Small Business Administration. The act also defines service-disabled veteran and veteran owned firm.

Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern - FAR 2.101

1. A small business concern not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service disabled veterans, and

2. The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service disabled veterans or, in the case of a veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran

Service disabled veteran means a veteran as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service connected as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16). Note: There is no set-aside program for service disabled veteran-owned small business firms or for veteran-owned small business firms. However, legislation has recently been passed and signed by the President, which establishes a set-aside program for service-disabled veterans. Also, the Small Business Administration may consider a service-disabled veteran as disadvantaged for the purposes of the Section 8(a) program on a case-by-case basis.

Veteran Owned Small Business Concern - FAR 2.101

1. A small business concern not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more veterans (as defined in 38 U.S.C.101 (2)) or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more veterans; and

2. One or more veterans control the management and daily operations of which. Service disabled veteran-owned small business concerns and veteran-owned small business concerns may self-certify their status through the provision in FAR 52.219-1.

Subcontracting with Veteran Owned Small Business Concerns - FAR 19.702

Prime contractors submitting Small Business Subcontracting Plans in accordance with FAR 52.219-9 shall include goals for awards to veteran owned small business concerns. On October 22, 2001, the FAR was amended to add a subcontracting plan goal requirement for service disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.

Mentor-Protégé Program

The Air Force Mentor-Protégé (MP) Program is like no other in the Department of Defense, or in any other Government Agency. Entry into the Air Force reimbursement program is through separate contracts awarded for the mentoring efforts. The Air Force requires meaningful participation by Historically Black Colleges and Universities and/or Minority Institutions (HBCU/MIs) and/or Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and/or Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs). Close program oversight and monitoring is provided through the Air Force Outreach Program Office (AFOPO), located in San Antonio, Texas. Everyone benefits from participating in the program - mentors, protégés, schools, the Air Force, and the Department of Defense.

Congress established the Pilot MP Program in 1991. The purpose of the program is to:

(1) Increase Overall Participation of qualified SB concerns, Employers of the Severely Disabled, Woman Owned Small Businesses, HUBZone Small Businesses and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses. A major stumbling block to the achievement of the 5% SDB subcontracting goals mandated by Congress is the assertion by large DoD prime contractors that there are not enough qualified Small Businesses to perform as subcontractors on DoD work. Therefore, a primary goal of the Mentor-Protégé program is to increase the capabilities of eligible Protégés to the point where more of them can perform significant work on DoD contracts; resulting in an overall increase of subcontracting levels.

(2) Facilitate long-term relationships between Mentors and Protégés. Major prime contractors historically developed long term business relationships, generally with other large businesses, to permit effective competition for contracts that could not be performed entirely "in house." The long-term relationships benefit both prime contractors and their "team members." It is the intent of the Mentor- Protégé Program to foster this type of relationship between Mentors and Protégés in order to develop a stable small business vendor base.

(3) Provide incentives for major defense contractors (mentors) to furnish qualifying small business (SB) concerns with developmental assistance in order to increase their participation in DoD Procurement contracts. Incentives exist as direct reimbursement or credit against Small Business Subcontracting goals. Details are contained in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFARs) Appendix I: http://farsite.hill.af.mil/VFDFARA.HTM (click on Appendix I).