WEBVTT 00:00:02.464 --> 00:00:04.100 [Music and text on screen: Mission First Procurement U.S. Department of Homeland Security] 00:00:04.110 --> 00:00:09.880 [Music and text on screen: OSDBU: Prioritizing Small Business in DHS Procurements U.S. Department of Homeland Security] 00:00:10.200 --> 00:00:10.700 Hi. 00:00:10.700 --> 00:00:11.810 I'm Darlene Bullock. 00:00:11.810 --> 00:00:14.060 I am the executive director of the Office 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:16.610 of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. 00:00:16.610 --> 00:00:19.340 President Biden has a concentrated interest 00:00:19.340 --> 00:00:20.420 in small business. 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:24.200 The Biden-Harris Administration has issued several executive 00:00:24.200 --> 00:00:27.620 orders regarding small businesses-- incorporating 00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:30.420 small businesses, HUBZone businesses, 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:33.500 women-owned businesses, 8A small disadvantaged business, 00:00:33.500 --> 00:00:36.110 service-disabled, veteran-owned businesses, how they should 00:00:36.110 --> 00:00:38.420 be involved in the U.S. economy, what 00:00:38.420 --> 00:00:41.480 the federal government should be doing for small businesses 00:00:41.480 --> 00:00:46.220 In particular, the President issued Executive Order 13985 00:00:46.220 --> 00:00:50.180 in January 2021 which talks about racial equity 00:00:50.180 --> 00:00:52.940 in procurement and also in hiring. 00:00:52.940 --> 00:00:55.610 Small businesses are the engine of the economy. 00:00:55.610 --> 00:00:57.500 It's easier to pick up the phone and talk 20 00:00:57.500 --> 00:00:59.660 to the president of a small business than it 00:00:59.660 --> 00:01:03.230 is a large business to make some kind of action occur. 00:01:03.230 --> 00:01:05.900 And we want those companies to grow also. 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:09.260 The OSDBU stands for the Office of Small and Disadvantaged 00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:10.670 Business Utilization. 00:01:10.670 --> 00:01:13.580 And the purpose of the OSDBU is to ensure 00:01:13.580 --> 00:01:17.230 that DHS has small business participation in all 00:01:17.230 --> 00:01:18.650 or a majority of their procurements. 00:01:18.650 --> 00:01:21.530 In each one of the operational procurement offices 00:01:21.530 --> 00:01:23.300 there is a small business specialist. 00:01:23.300 --> 00:01:26.750 Their role is kind of an extension of the OSDBU. There is 00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:28.460 only one OSDBU in the Department, 00:01:28.460 --> 00:01:30.560 but there are many small business specialists 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:33.590 who support what the OSDBU does, which 00:01:33.590 --> 00:01:35.545 is support the Small Business Act 00:01:35.545 --> 00:01:37.670 and make sure that everything in the Small Business 00:01:37.670 --> 00:01:38.930 Act we adhere to. 00:01:38.930 --> 00:01:43.310 Section 15 USC 644 is at the bones 00:01:43.310 --> 00:01:46.420 of what creates the OSDBU and the small business specialist 00:01:46.420 --> 00:01:46.920 role. 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:49.310 So they're the first people on the ground who 00:01:49.310 --> 00:01:51.860 every acquisition personnel should be speaking 00:01:51.860 --> 00:01:54.110 with within their organization. 00:01:54.110 --> 00:01:56.960 They review market research reports. 00:01:56.960 --> 00:01:58.940 They help with strategy. 00:01:58.940 --> 00:02:01.220 They also meet with vendors. 00:02:01.220 --> 00:02:04.310 They also support a lot of the OSDBU outreach efforts 00:02:04.310 --> 00:02:05.720 such as vendor outreach. 00:02:05.720 --> 00:02:08.990 There are OSDBU offices similar to DHS's 00:02:08.990 --> 00:02:11.810 at every procurement organization 00:02:11.810 --> 00:02:13.290 throughout the federal government. 00:02:13.290 --> 00:02:16.070 So there are 24 individuals like me 00:02:16.070 --> 00:02:18.200 throughout the government whose main job 00:02:18.200 --> 00:02:21.050 is to ensure that there are small business opportunities. 00:02:21.050 --> 00:02:23.210 Each OSDBU is an independent voice 00:02:23.210 --> 00:02:24.710 within the federal government. 00:02:24.710 --> 00:02:27.210 We're not a contracting office. 00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:30.560 So what we do is work with every contracting office, 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:33.530 every small business specialist, the HCA, 00:02:33.530 --> 00:02:36.740 the CPO, to ensure that there are small business opportunities. 00:02:36.740 --> 00:02:39.680 The small disadvantaged business goal for fiscal year '22 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:41.962 has been raised to 17% for the Department. 00:02:41.962 --> 00:02:44.420 So these are some of the things that the president is doing 00:02:44.420 --> 00:02:48.300 to incorporate small businesses, HUBZone businesses, 00:02:48.300 --> 00:02:51.380 women-owned businesses, 8A small disadvantaged business, 00:02:51.380 --> 00:02:53.840 service-disabled, veteran-owned businesses-- the type 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:57.710 of businesses that we seek first before we go out 00:02:57.710 --> 00:03:00.950 and contract with large companies. 00:03:00.950 --> 00:03:05.120 You may be aware of DHS-wide total small business set-asides 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:06.560 that have been very successful. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:09.890 FirstSource II is for our IT products 00:03:09.890 --> 00:03:11.750 and some value-added services. 00:03:11.750 --> 00:03:14.420 FirstSource II is all small businesses. 00:03:14.420 --> 00:03:16.840 Every one of the categories represent 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:19.320 either small or socioeconomic status. 00:03:19.320 --> 00:03:23.090 And that contract, I'll tell you, makes up about 35% 00:03:23.090 --> 00:03:24.740 of the Department's HUBZone dollars. 00:03:24.740 --> 00:03:25.920 That is huge. 00:03:25.920 --> 00:03:28.170 So it's been a very successful program. 00:03:28.170 --> 00:03:31.820 The second is PACTS, the service-disabled veteran 00:03:31.820 --> 00:03:32.345 set aside. 00:03:32.345 --> 00:03:34.640 And it's for program management services. 00:03:34.640 --> 00:03:37.760 And without PACTS, that's another vehicle if we had not 00:03:37.760 --> 00:03:39.440 had that in place for the Department 00:03:39.440 --> 00:03:42.140 to use we would not have made our service-disabled 00:03:42.140 --> 00:03:45.560 veteran-owned small business goal over the last 10 years. 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:48.440 The OSDBU is here to support your Component. 00:03:48.440 --> 00:03:50.390 We're here to support anything that you 00:03:50.390 --> 00:03:52.610 need in regards to any small business 00:03:52.610 --> 00:03:55.130 questions that can be a little daunting actually. 00:03:55.130 --> 00:03:58.290 The small business world is quite technical in nature. 00:03:58.290 --> 00:04:00.170 There are a lot of questions that 00:04:00.170 --> 00:04:03.590 may be hard to be answered by maybe the small business 00:04:03.590 --> 00:04:06.410 specialist or as a contracting officer. 00:04:06.410 --> 00:04:08.840 So that's why we have a lot of training courses. 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:11.030 That's why we have small business specialists that 00:04:11.030 --> 00:04:11.660 can help you. 00:04:11.660 --> 00:04:16.160 That's why we have desk officers within the OSDBU who 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:18.630 are assigned to specific Components. 00:04:18.630 --> 00:04:21.110 So if you ever have a technical question, 00:04:21.110 --> 00:04:24.350 you can come directly to them and we can provide the answer 00:04:24.350 --> 00:04:27.050 or we can go to SBA-- our SBA contacts get 00:04:27.050 --> 00:04:28.130 the answers for you. 00:04:28.130 --> 00:04:30.860 And the OSDBU also has a general mailbox, 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:33.065 and that is dhsosdbu@hq.dhs.gov. 00:04:36.410 --> 00:04:39.170 So if you have any questions for our office, 00:04:39.170 --> 00:04:42.170 please feel free to send those and we'll get back to you 00:04:42.170 --> 00:04:43.010 as soon as possible. 00:04:43.010 --> 00:04:46.530 So we are here to support all of your small business questions 00:04:46.530 --> 00:04:47.030 and needs. 00:04:47.030 --> 00:04:50.380 [MUSIC PLAYING]