To expand the role of small businesses in defense-related projects, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to increase their roles in helping small businesses land contracts for defense and other government projects.
The memo was signed by Farooq A. Mitha, director of small business programs at DoD, and Mark Madrid, associate administrator of SBA's Office of Entrepreneurial Development (see image above) at the Maryland Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). The PTAC (College Park, MD), a DoD-funded office, is one of more than 90 such DoD offices working with small businesses. The offices will be rebranded with the name "APEX Accelerators."
The APEX Accelerators are tasked with assisting existing and new businesses to strengthen the defense industrial base and its capabilities to supply technological innovations. As PTACs, these offices provide matching funds through cooperative agreements with state and local governments and nonprofit organizations. The SBA helps with the certification of small businesses and helps the establishment of startup businesses. The two agencies already work together in many places.
Mitha explained, “One of the things that we want to make sure that we're doing is providing resources and support to small businesses who are looking to do business with DoD, with other federal agencies, with state and local government, and really reduce barriers to entry.”
The MOU will help the two agencies to establish strong bonds and work together more efficiently and effectively. The DoD operates more than 90 APEX Accelerators nationally, while the SBA has more than 1,000 SBA centers across the U.S.