Joint Base San Antonio Contracting Opportunities Mean Big Business for Small Business

This past week, Brigadier General Caroline Miller, Commander, 502^nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio, hosted the September Regional Chamber Summit. Along with a small group of executives from throughout our region, Richard Perez, Chamber President and CEO, and Lori Stinson, Chamber Vice President of Military Affairs and Leadership Development, attended the summit to gain a deeper understanding of the great work being accomplished throughout the installations daily, especially amidst the current pandemic and as our region recovers. In addition to topics related to the base’s budget and key priorities, such as supporting military families and transitioning service members, the 502d team of professionals highlighted important partnership opportunities and ways to engage with our military neighbors through contracting work. Obtaining government contracts and being aware of the needs of our military missions continues to be of great importance to our business community. The 502d Contracting Squadron provides installation contracting support to Joint Base San Antonio and strives to maximize competition and small business participation. They can be of great value to our small businesses seeking work on the installation. In FY19, $263M of eligible dollars were awarded to small businesses, which also includes minority, service-disabled veteran, and woman-owned businesses. The United States Government is the world’s largest buyer, which means that there are many small business incentives available, and federal agencies procure in almost all industries. In 2019 federal contracts were valued over $501B.   Some important steps to complete if you are interested in contracting opportunities include:

• Obtain a DUNS Number, which is a business identification number, from Dun & Bradstreet (http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform)
• Register in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://beta.SAM.gov/)
• Generate a small business profile (https://web.sba.gov/pro-net/search/dsp_dsbs.cfm)
• Apply for small business certifications (if applicable)
• Create a robust capability statement

  It will also be vital to become familiar with the regulations and websites for government contracting and research agencies your company would like to do business with, as well as identify items that government agencies have historically purchased (https://www.fpds.gov). Identifying future needs will be helpful as well, so don’t forget to visit forecasting websites such as https://www.acquisition.gov/procurement-forecasts. Joint Base San Antonio is the largest joint base in the Department of Defense and keeping all of our mission partners supported takes a lot of effort and generates a lot of work. As a small business, devoting time to researching and frequently reviewing the opportunities available to you will certainly reap great rewards. Federal procurements are posted for Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) at https://beta.SAM.gov/ and be sure to quickly respond to Requests for Information (RFI) and Sources Sought that are posted on the https://beta.SAM.gov  website. For additional support, utilize the local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) for no-cost assistance at https://ptac.iedtexas.org. As this is a complex and time-consuming effort, don’t neglect to ask for assistance. Our military partners recommend contacting the local Small Business Association Procurement Center Representative, Ms. Sheena Little at sheena.little@sba.gov. To schedule a Capability Briefing with the 502d Contracting Squadron (CONS), contact Ms. Wendy Fountain at (210) 671-5107 or email wendy.fountain@us.af.mil. For additional information on partnership opportunities or ways to support our Military Service Members and Families and to join our Chamber’s Military Affairs Council, email Lori Stinson at lstinson@sachamber.org.