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MISC. SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS
Subcontracting
In accordance with Public
Law 95-507, all contracts over $1 million for construction and over
$500,000 for other goods and services must have a subcontracting
plan approved by the OSDBU prior to contract award. Goals for subcontracting
awards to small, SDB, HUBZone, and women-owned firms are negotiated
with prime contractors. The subcontract goal achievements are monitored
semiannually, with annual reports submitted through SBA to the President
of the United States. For detailed information please refer
to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
and specifically FAR section 52.219-9 'Small Business Subcontracting
Plan'.
Minority Business
The OSDBU seeks to encourage
a high profile for minority firms at the Department of Commerce
by: actively searching for minority firms for all procurements and
all Commerce programs, showcasing and counseling minority firms
during ‘Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week’, establishing
goals for high minority attendance at Commerce procurement functions,
and counseling minority businesses on all Federal minority
and technical programs.
Please also visit the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority
Business Development Agency (MBDA) website.
Set-Asides
The Small
Business Administration is charged with aiding small businesses
in the process of obtaining government contracts and performing
them successfully.
Mentor-Protege
Such a program has mentor firms (prime contractors with active subcontracting
plans) receiving incentives for entering into agreements with protege
firms (various small business concerns). The agreements establish
developmental assistance programs provided by the mentor firm for
the protege firm. Commerce does not currently have a mentor-protege
program. However, some other agencies such as the Department
of Defense, NASA,
Department
of Energy, do have Mentor-Protege programs.
Grant and Loan Information
Commerce does
not offer loans or grants to begin or expand a small business.
As for loans, you might also consider contacting SBA (phone: 1-800-827-5722)(http://www.sba.gov)
or your state government for programs that provide economic development
business loans.
Various
grant websites (not limited to small business) include:
JWOD
The Javits-Wagner-O'Day
(JWOD) program provides employment opportunities for over 36,000
Americans who are blind or have other severe disabilities by orchestrating
government purchases of products and services provided by nonprofit
agencies employing such individuals throughout the country. The
Committee has designated National Industries for the Blind (NIB)
and NISH (serving people with a range of disabilities) as the national
nonprofit organizations that perform this and other functions that
assist nonprofit agencies to participate in the JWOD program. The
following link will take you to a list
of JWOD Program Liaisons for each of the various federal agencies.
Manufacturing Extension Program
MEP is a nationwide network
of not-for-profit Centers in over 400 locations nationwide, whose
sole purpose is to provide small and medium-sized manufacturers
with the help they need to succeed. The Centers, serving all 50
States, and Puerto Rico, are linked together through the Department
of Commerce’s National Institute
of Standards and Technology. That makes it possible for even
the smallest firms to tap into the expertise of knowledgeable manufacturing
and business specialists all over the U.S.
Advanced Technology Program
The Advanced
Technology Program program is designed to assist businesses
in carrying out research and development on pre-competitive, generic
technologies on a wide range of potential applications that can
offer significant benefits to the nation’s economy.
It provides technology development grants to single businesses, joint
ventures, or independent research institutes.
Technology Transfer
Commerce has responded
to Public Law 99-502 with policy that ensures that, where appropriate,
the Department will transfer federally
owned or originated technology to state and local governments and
to the private sector. The OSDBU assists small businesses wishing
to explore technology transfer opportunities with Commerce.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
SBIR is a highly competitive program that encourages small business
to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive
to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small
businesses in the nation's R&D arena, high-tech innovation is
stimulated and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as
it meets its specific research and development needs.
- SBIR Program at NIST
(U.S. Department of Commerce)
- SBIR Program at NOAA
(U.S. Department of Commerce)
DoC’s Implementation Plan
for Executive Order 13329 “Encouraging Innovation in Manufacturing”
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