The office will be located within Los Alamos' Community Relations Office Española Outreach Center at Northern New Mexico Community College, said Bennie Gonzales, Los Alamos' Small Business Program Office manager.
Tim Martinez, a procurement specialist and supplier liaison in Los Alamos' Procurement Group, will staff the one-person office, Gonzales said.
"The Laboratory is very committed to making every possible effort to maximize the opportunities for subcontracting with our Northern New Mexico suppliers," said Gonzales. "This is just one of our efforts to increase these opportunities for businesses in Northern New Mexico and especially underserved areas such as Rio Arriba County."
Gonzales said small business owners in the valley will be able to meet with Martinez to discuss small business procurement opportunities at the Laboratory. Martinez also can explain Laboratory procedures and requirements for doing business with the Lab.
"Anything that's more specific, certainly he can help there," Gonzales said, noting that Martinez also will act as the central point for certifying valley businesses under the federal Historically Underutilized Business, or HUB zone program. Gonzales noted that 36 businesses in the valley have been HUB zone certified. "We've got a long way to go, but we're working with them," said Gonzales.
In addition to identifying possible Lab procurements, the Española small business outreach office also will work to bring together large firms, such as Johnson Controls Northern New Mexico and Hensel Phelps Construction Co., to identify possible subcontract opportunities between large and small businesses.
Gonzales said the new small business outreach office is part of the Small Business Program Office's expanded efforts to increase procurement opportunities in Northern New Mexico.
In the 2001 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 2001, the Laboratory purchased $357 million in goods and services from Northern New Mexico businesses. The SBO also has held a number of trade fairs aimed at pairing businesses with Laboratory personnel who buy goods and services for their organizations.
Gonzales said goods and services include anything from the purchase of computers, office equipment and supplies, furniture, and machine shop fabrications, to support services from Johnson Controls Northern New Mexico and Protection Technology Los Alamos.
Contractual requirements for the purchase of goods and services from Northern New Mexico businesses is an "off-ramp" issue for the Laboratory as part of the University of California's contract to operate the Laboratory for the Department of Energy, said Gonzales.
Los Alamos' Small Business Program Office has in place a number of programs that support small business and economic development in the region. One such program is the Northern New Mexico Preference Program, part of Los Alamos' Regional Purchasing Program designed to strengthen regional business enterprises, stimulate greater regional employment and infrastructure, increase the business tax base in Northern New Mexico and reduce regional dependence on the federal government.
For more information about Los Alamos' Small Business Program Office, call 667-4410 or go to http://www.buynorthern@lanl.gov online.
Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission.
Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, developing technical solutions to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health and national security concerns.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and the Washington Division of URS for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.