FY 2019 Annual Small Business Awards Program

U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

FY 2019 Annual Small Business Awards Program

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is pleased to announce DOE’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Annual Small Business Awards Program. Awards will be made to program elements, power administrations, facility management contractors, small business program managers, and small businesses that have demonstrated exceptional performance during FY 2019.

The awards will be presented May 5-7, 2020 at the Small Business Awards Ceremony during the Department’s 19th Annual DOE Small Business Forum & Expo at the Charleston Area Convention Center in Charleston, SC.

Participation:

Participation is open to DOE program elements and power administrations, facility management contractors, small business program managers, small business prime contractors, federal and contractor acquisition personnel, and DOE mentors and protégés. (Western Area Power Administration and Southwestern Power Administration are the only power administrations eligible to participate in the awards program.)

Instructions for Nominations:

Nominations are for DOE personnel (Federal or contractor) and small businesses that work with the Department or M&O contractors.
Valid nominations shall only be submitted through Federal or contractor small business program managers (SBPMs), contracting officers and specialists.
Nominations will be accepted from November 4 through December 20, 2019.
The SBPMs, contracting officers and specialists are responsible for initially assessing any nominations received from outside participants and for ensuring that the nominations are submitted in a timely manner by 11:59 PM (EST) December 20, 2019.
A company or an individual may be nominated for only one (1) award category.For example, a woman-owned small business company may only be nominated for the woman-owned small business of the year award and cannot be nominated for the Small Business of the Year award, as well.
Award nominations will be accepted from November 4 through December 20, 2019.
The word limit for each award submission is 570.
Please use statistics to support accomplishments.Do not attach data tables or charts.
Award nominations must be submitted by using the Smart Sheet. To obtain the link to the Smart Sheet, please email Anita Anderson (anita.anderson@hq.doe.gov).
Small business entities must be in good standing with the Department of Energy and withFederal procurement guidelines to include the Excluded Parties Listing System (EPLS).The nominator must verify and validate that the small business has an up-to-date or current reporting status in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), has a positive report, and fulfills the small business category for which it is nominated.
A nominee for any of the small business award categories must own or operate a business defined as “small” for its primary industry under the applicable SBA size standards.Nominees must also be residents of the United States or its territories.Small businesses owned and operated by nominees must comply with federal civil rights law.

Nominations are being accepted for the following FY 2019 award categories:

Federal Small Business Program Manager of the Year:

Description: Recognizes an individual who embodies the many facets of an energetic, forward-thinking, DOE small business program manager. His or her efforts far exceed expectations in working with, advocating for, and assisting to increase utilization of small businesses.

Criteria: Meets or exceeds the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) Scorecard small business goals and/or the following criteria:

Implements strategies to increase the value of competitively awarded contracts to small businesses.
Advocates and obtains top-level agency commitment to small business contracting.
Executes significant events to increase small business participation in the procurement process.
Demonstrates that policies and procedures are in place to ensure compliance with prime forecast goals or subcontracting plans and attainment of related goals.
Plans training for contracting staff/managers to better execute small business/socioeconomic procurements.
Collaborates with SBA, other agencies, or community groups on formulation of small business procurement policy initiatives.
Submits all plans and reports due to SBA.
Creates/Implements new outcome-focused initiatives that enhance competencies and capabilities of small business supplier base.
Develops new markets for small business - identifying and creating opportunities for small business participation within programs not previously performed by small business.

Federal Procurement Director of the Year:

Description: Holds the position of managing the operations of a federal procurement organization for an operations office or program office (title such as procurement director, purchasing director, Head of Contracting Activity, etc.). The successful candidate has displayed leadership and commitment to maximizing small businesses utilization through policies, procedures, outreach, and creating an atmosphere of “small business first” throughout his or her organization. Candidate selection criteria will be based on a balance of objective results-oriented measures and created/implemented policies, programs and practices promoting small business.

Criteria:

Dollar and/or percentage increases in small business obligations.
Percentage increase of small business awards versus large business awards from the previous year.
Significant small business contract awards supporting line missions or support functions.
New or updated socioeconomic operating policies and programs.
Procedures or systems that focus program offices and buyers to consider small business first.
Building community and small business development through outreach efforts.
Creating or expanding small business use in non-traditional functional areas.

Laboratory Director of the Year:

Description: Recognizes the laboratory director managing the operations of a laboratory for an operations office or program office. The successful candidate has displayed leadership and commitment to maximizing small businesses utilization through policies, procedures, outreach, and creating an atmosphere of “small business first” throughout his or her organization. Candidate selection criteria will be based on a balance of objective, results-oriented measures and created/implemented policies, programs and practices promoting small business.

Criteria:

The Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) laboratory has met all of its small business goals in FY 2019.
Increase small business achievement of the FFRDC laboratory between FY 2018 and FY 2019.
Increase in small business goals (by obligations) between the FFRDC laboratories.

Facility Management Contractor (FMC) Small Business Program Manager of the Year:

Description: Recognizes an individual within a DOE facility who embodies the many facets of an energetic, forward-thinking small business program manager. His or her efforts far exceed expectations in working with, advocating for, and assisting in the increased utilization of small businesses.

Criteria:

Implements strategies to increase the value of competitively awarded contracts to small businesses.
Advocates and obtains top-level agency commitment to small business contracting.
Executes significant events to increase small business participation in the procurement process.
Demonstrates that small business data is accurately reported in Federal Procurement Data System–Next Generation (FPDS-NG).
Demonstrates that policies and procedures are in place to ensure compliance with prime forecast goals or subcontracting plans and attainment of related goals.
Plans training for contracting staff/managers to better execute small business/socioeconomic procurements.
Collaborates with SBA, other agencies, or community groups on formulation of small business procurement policy initiatives.
Submits all plans and reports due to SBA.
Creates/Implements new outcome-focused initiatives that enhance competencies and capabilities of small business supplier base.
Develops new markets for small business identifying and creating opportunities for small business participation within programs not previously performed by small business.

Facility Management Contractor (FMC) Procurement Director of the Year:

Description: Holds the position of managing the operations of a procurement organization for a management and operating contractor. The successful candidate has displayed leadership and commitment to maximizing small businesses utilization through policies, procedures, outreach, and creating an atmosphere of “small business first” throughout his or her organization. Candidate selection will be based on a balance of objective results-oriented measures and created/implemented policies, programs and practices promoting small business.

Criteria:

Dollar and/or percentage increases in small business obligations (may use Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS), Individual Subcontracting Report (ISR), Summary Subcontracting Report (SSR) information or other fact-based data systems).
Percentage increase of small business contract awards supporting line missions or support functions.
New or updated socioeconomic operating policies.
Procedures or systems that focus program offices and buyers to consider small business first.
Building community and small business development through outreach efforts.
Creating or expanding small business use in non-traditional functional areas.

Mentor of the Year*:

Description: Recognizes the efforts of a DOE Mentor that has exceeded the requirements of their Mentor-Protégé agreement. These results have enhanced the protégés ability to successfully compete for federal contracts.

Criteria:

Accomplishments exceed the Mentor/Protégé agreement.
Protégé demonstrates growth and self-empowerment through the Mentor/Protégé program.

Protégé of the Year*:

Description: Recognizes the significant development of a DOE Protégé that has enhanced its ability to successfully compete for federal contracts through its participation in the DOE Mentor/Protégé program.

Criteria:

Accomplishments exceed the Mentor/Protégé agreement.
Protégé demonstrates growth and self-empowerment through the Mentor/Protégé program.

8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year*:

Description: This award recognizes the outstanding performance of a small business, certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 8(a) and/or Small Disadvantaged Business programs, for their exceptional performance in activities contributing to core DOE mission accomplishments.

Criteria: Recipient excels beyond expectations or contract requirements by providing:

Creative or unique solutions to DOE requirements.
Extraordinary customer service, and/or significant value (schedule and budget related).
Productivity and efficiency gains.
Innovative ideas to the specific project and/or task being performed.
Cost, time, and manpower savings for the Department.

Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year*:

Description: Recognizes the exceptional performance of a Woman-Owned small business directly contributing to the accomplishments of core DOE mission objectives and requirements.

Criteria: Recipient excels beyond expectations or contract requirements by providing:

Creative or unique solutions to DOE requirements.
Extraordinary customer service, and/or significant value (schedule and budget related).
Productivity and efficiency gains.
Innovative ideas to the specific project and/or task being performed.
Cost, time, and manpower savings for the Department.

HUBZone Small Business of the Year*:

Description: Recognizes the excellence of a small business, certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration as located and operating within a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone), directly contributing to core DOE mission accomplishments.

Criteria: Recipient excels beyond expectations or contract requirements by providing:

Creative or unique solutions to DOE requirements.
Extraordinary customer service, and/or significant value (schedule and budget related).
Productivity and efficiency gains.
Innovative ideas to the specific project and/or task being performed.
Cost, time, and manpower savings for the Department.

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year*:

Description: Recognizes the exceptional performance of a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned small business directly facilitating the advancement of core DOE mission objectives and requirements.

Criteria: Recipient excels beyond expectations or contract requirements by providing:

Creative or unique solutions to DOE requirements.
Extraordinary customer service, and/or significant value (schedule and budget related).
Productivity and efficiency gains.
Innovative ideas to the specific project and/or task being performed.
Cost, time, and manpower savings for the Department.

SBIR/STTR Small Business of the Year*:

Description: Recognizes a U.S. small business that exemplifies the spirit of DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs by strengthening and expanding its high-technology research and development (R&D) competitiveness at the Department and/or in the marketplace. SBIR/STTR small business nominations will be evaluated using demonstrated exceptional performance from time of SBIR/STTR award to the present.

Criteria: Recipient excels at one or more of the following:

Stimulating U.S. technological innovation and enhancing the nation’s return on its DOE SBIR/STTR investment.
Providing the DOE and/or its national laboratories, research facilities, or university research partners the benefits of commercial applications derived from DOE SBIR/STTR funded R&D.
Stimulating U.S. economic growth and/or increasing private-sector commercialization of innovations as a result or in part of DOE SBIR/STTR funded R&D.

Small Business of the Year*:

Description: Recognizes the creative, unique, and extraordinary performance of a small business which has significantly and directly impacted core DOE mission objectives and requirements.

Criteria: Recipient excels beyond expectations or contract requirements by providing:

Creative or unique solutions to DOE requirements.
Extraordinary customer service, and/or significant value (schedule and budget related).
Productivity and efficiency gains.
Innovative ideas to the specific project and/or task being performed.
Cost, time, and manpower savings for the Department.

* Small business entities must be in good standing with the Department of Energy and with Federal procurement guidelines to include the Excluded Parties Listing System (EPLS). The nominator must verify and validate that the small business has an up-to-date or current reporting status in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), has a positive report, and fulfills the small business category for which it is nominated.

* A nominee for any of the small business award categories must own or operate a business defined as “small” for its primary industry under the applicable SBA size standards. Nominees must also be residents of the United States or its territories. Small businesses owned and operated by nominees must comply with federal civil rights law.

For questions, please contact Anita Anderson, Chairperson of DOE’s Annual Small Business Awards Program, at (301) 903-7003 or anita.anderson@hq.doe.gov.