Small business awards climb again

  • Published
  • By Daryl Mayer, AFLCMC Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio (AFLCMC) – The AFLCMC Small Business Office followed up a record-setting $3.2 billion of awards in 2019 by eclipsing the mark with $3.6 billion in 2020.
 
“We came in at actual small business spend from a percentage standpoint of over 10 percent which is the highest the center has seen. So it's just been great,” said Luke Schultz, AFLCMC Small Business Office director.
 
For some years, Air Force leadership has recognized small companies, start-ups and other non-traditional businesses as places where innovative solutions enter the marketplace, according to Schultz.  The drive for proactive engagement and mentoring with those companies is a means to find the next brilliant idea.  
 
Ultimately, he said, it is about making a difference on the battlefield by delivering innovative, game-changing capabilities to the warfighter. 
 
Schultz and his team of 14 small business professionals are located at Wright-Patt, and other AFLCMC bases such as Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts; Gunter Annex in Alabama; Eglin AFB, Florida; Lackland AFB, Texas; and Heath, Ohio.  They also partner with offices at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma; Robins AFB, Georgia; and Hill AFB, Utah. 
 
They serve as the link between small companies, the program offices and the Small Business Administration. 
 
The office runs a wide spectrum of engagement activities so all parties are aware of what the others can offer, Schultz said.  This includes mentoring small business on how to interpret contracting requirements, advising program offices when small businesses are available options and learning from the SBA when companies are interested in Air Force partnerships.    
 
To hear the full conversation, you can watch Leadership Log on YouTube at https://youtu.be/n7HzTxFa3Nw.  You can also listen by searching “Leadership Log” on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, Overcast, Radio Public or Breaker.