How Small Businesses Can Get Involved with the Department of Energy
The Energy Department's overarching mission is to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States; to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission and to ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex. Learn about the ways that our program offices, National Labs, and facilities work towards those missions - and how your small business can support them.
The Energy Department has a unique contracting process. We own land and facilities, and large facility management contractors manage and operate it on a daily basis. As a result, the Department, the largest civilian buying agency, obligates approximately 85% of our procurement dollars to our facility management contractors in the field. The field includes our labs and technology centers and our operations offices (full list here). Looking for information about acquisition regulations, policies, teaming arrangements, financial assistance, or unsolicited proposals? Check out our Guidance for Procurement Officials.
We are committed to increasing the contracting opportunities awarded to small and disadvantaged businesses, establishing goals, promulgating policy, and developing practices and programs to encourage and increase small business participation in departmental procurement opportunities, and guiding small and disadvantaged businesses through the process of contracting with the Federal government.
The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Utilization assists small businesses, small disadvantaged, 8(a), women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, and businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones. For more information on these small business initiatives,click here.
Here are some ways to get started working with us:
- Learn about procurement opportunities, offered through a department-wide forecast database of contracting and subcontracting opportunities. Visit this page to learn the ins and outs of how to get started working with the Department of Energy.
- Check out historical procurement records to research what facilities regularly purchase your products/service. Visit our Small Business Opportunity Tool today.
- Attend Outreach Events, which include Business Opportunity Sessions, and Small Business Summits. These matchmaking events enable small businesses to meet one-on-one with agency or contractor buyers.
- Apply for the mentor-protégé program to grow your business as a mentor or a protege.
At the Energy Department, our office assists small businesses by maintaining a customized Small Business Database for Energy Department procurement, which assists program staff, and prime contractors in their market research efforts. Our office also aligns individual Small Business Program Managers with specific Energy Department program elements as account representatives.
Questions? Please send us an email as smallbusiness@hq.doe.gov or give us a call at (202) 586-7377.