TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. —
The Division of Protection has a protracted historical past of counting on the small enterprise industrial base to help its efforts at house and overseas. Small Companies account for over ninety-nine p.c of all employer corporations and generate in extra of 40 p.c of america financial exercise. The Air Pressure Sustainment Heart Small Enterprise workplace is liable for discovering these small companies and connecting them with the U.S. Air Pressure to turn into distributors.
“Small companies are very important to the DOD industrial base and the small enterprise workplace is striving to cut back obstacles and entice extra small companies to turn into AFSC enterprise companions,” mentioned Ronald Hobbs, director of Small Enterprise for AFSC.
Since 2010, the variety of small companies supporting the DOD has dropped by 40 p.c; within the final 5 years alone there have been over 17,000 firms misplaced because of mergers and consolidation. Hobbs is dedicated to streamlining the approval course of, eradicating obstacles and entice extra small companies to help AFSC.
“We’re presently spearheading a four-part plan to interact, inform, and streamline the processes to do enterprise with our companions. If we really plan to be ready for the subsequent struggle, we’ve got to vary how we function. We should scale back the obstacles to entry and decrease the price of working with the DOD,” mentioned Hobbs.
AFSC has a complete of 14 small enterprise acquisition professionals at three separate places to delivering progressive, efficient and agile small enterprise options. Their mission is to attach small enterprise capabilities to AFSC necessities.
Hobbs mentioned, “There are two the explanation why I really feel we want this help. First, we’ve got an growing older Natural Industrial Base infrastructure. We want native small companies to help these a lot wanted upgrades. Second, we’re supporting legacy platforms. The longer we help these platforms, we face ever rising challenges with obsolescence and provide chain supportability. We’ll proceed to depend on small companies to supply these elements and items till we divest or purchase new gear.”
Hobbs mentioned counting on local people enterprise companions is vital to sustaining a strong industrial base and growing sturdy neighborhood companions. The contracts obtained by means of the DOD can help a small neighborhood for years to come back, whereas inside bigger communities this will help present employment and alternatives, attractive new companies and spurring financial improvement.
The reliance on native small companies may also enhance predictability and reliability of elements and companies wanted to help the mission. Small companies traditionally have been capable of shortly and successfully react to altering calls for, in the end offering the Air Pressure with resiliency in carrying out missions.
There are fundamental standards that small companies should meet to be a licensed contractor with the DOD. These necessities could be discovered right here.
For extra data on the way to turn into a contractor for the DOD, go to the Air Pressure Sustainment Heart Small Enterprise web page to seek out out extra.
