OSDBU Quarterly Newsletter | April 2025

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Quarterly Newsletter (Q2)

April 24, 2025

From the Director

I’m honored to return as Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). It’s a privilege to rejoin the DOE family and recommit to expanding opportunities for America’s small and disadvantaged businesses—especially at a time of renewed focus on unleashing American energy. Under the leadership of Secretary Chris Wright and a revitalized senior team, DOE is moving swiftly to implement the Administration’s vision for American Energy Dominance. Anchored by Secretary Wright’s Unleashing American Energy Dominance Secretarial Order, we are advancing priorities that restore energy leadership, accelerate innovation, and streamline how government partners with industry. At OSDBU, that means identifying real opportunities, removing unnecessary barriers, and reinforcing the critical role small businesses play in achieving DOE’s mission. As we enter the second half of Fiscal Year 2025, DOE is on track to meet or exceed its small business prime and subcontracting goals. We anticipate receiving our ninth consecutive “A” grade from the Small Business Administration when FY 2024 results are finalized—an important reflection of the Department’s commitment to meaningful small business inclusion across its programs, labs, and sites. We also continue to evolve how we engage with the small business community. In March, OSDBU partnered with Oak Ridge and Jefferson Labs to host the Women-Owned Small Business Opportunity Day—an energetic and well-attended event that brought together over 400 small businesses from across the country. You can find a recap in this edition. Looking ahead, we are reshaping our outreach strategy. While we’ve canceled the 2025 DOE Small Business Forum & Expo originally planned for June in Chicago, we’re launching a new hybrid engagement series: Maximizing Small Business to Unleash American Energy. This initiative—developed in collaboration with DOE program offices and national laboratories—will offer more targeted, flexible, and mission-aligned engagement throughout the year.  This newsletter also highlights recent success stories, legislative updates, and new opportunities across the DOE enterprise. I hope you find it both informative and energizing. Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting DOE’s missions through small business excellence. Warm regards,

Charlie Smith
Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
U.S. Department of Energy

Small Business Achievement

The Department continues to increase opportunities for small businesses and make progress in socio-economic achievement. In the second quarter of FY 2025, the Department projects increased prime small business awards, including two of the four socio-economic categories graded by the SBA.

Below is a preliminary second quarter data summary of Prime Federal Contracting Spend and the change over the same period in prior years using the SAM.gov Small Business Goaling Report. Please note that the data has not been finalized.

Q2 FY 2021-2025 Prime Federal Small Business Contracting Spend

The Department is outpacing prime awards to Small Businesses (SBs) by $132M, Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) by $47M, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) by $24M compared to this same period in FY 2024.

DOE Women-Owned Small Business Opportunity Day Draws More Than 400 Leaders

OSDBU hosted the DOE Women-Owned Small Business Opportunity Day with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) on March 13 at ORNL. More than 400 business leaders from across the United States attended the event in person  and virtually. 

OSDBU Director Charlie Smith spoke at the event with remarks highlighting the importance of small business subcontracting with DOE and across the federal government. Attendees also heard welcome messages from ORNL Lab Director Dr. Stephen Streiffer, DOE Oak Ridge Site Office Manager Trey Wheeler, and Jefferson Lab Director Kimberly Sawyer.

Additional speakers included:

• Bryce Robinson, acquisition manager for DOE’s Office of Science Consolidated Service Center
• Susan Lourie, Tennessee district representative for the SBA
• Representatives from ORNL, Y-12, UCOR, ORAU, Jefferson Lab, TN APEX Accelerator, and the Tennessee Small Business Development Center

Misty Mayes, CEO of Management Solutions, shared her experience as a successful women-owned small business (WOSB) working within the DOE complex.
Participants learned about regulatory updates, upcoming business opportunities, and best practices for working with DOE sites. Both in-person and online attendees joined matchmaking sessions with small business advocates. On-site participants also had the opportunity to tour ORNL, including the Frontier supercomputer.

Exhibitors included the DOE Office of Science (CSC), United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR), Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), Y-12 National Security Complex, East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC), TN APEX Accelerator, and the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC).

The event was part of ORNL’s Small Business Program Office outreach, supporting the lab’s commitment to working with small businesses to the maximum extent practicable in advancing DOE’s mission.

For more information, please contact Cassandra McGee Stuart, Mgr., Strategy and Performance at mcgeecm@ornl.gov or Small Business Program Officer Leah Swaggerty at swaggertylb@ornl.gov at ORNL; and Mia Spicer, Small Business Liaison Officer at Jefferson Lab at spicer@jlab.org.

DOE Small Business Success Stories 

The OSDBU is excited to share a small business success story from Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia).

On March 6, 2025, Sandia proudly hosted its 2nd Annual Small Business Opportunities Fair, marking a significant milestone in fostering collaboration between small businesses and DOE laboratories. The event attracted over 400 suppliers, providing them with a unique platform to discuss potential business opportunities with Sandia and other DOE labs, sites, and plants.

This year’s fair featured participation from 10 esteemed laboratories, sites, and plants, each hosting a booth to engage with attendees. The participating entities included the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Fluor Federal Petroleum Operations, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Pantex, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Kansas City National Security Campus, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Additionally, 15 various national and local small business resources were present, further enriching the networking opportunities available to attendees.

Sandia National Laboratories Small Business Team

One of the highlights of the fair was the series of educational sessions, which were deemed the most successful to date. These sessions covered critical topics relevant to small businesses looking to engage with federal entities. Key presentations included "Cybersecurity Requirements for DOE & Sandia National Labs," "How to Evaluate for Suspect & Counterfeit Products When Selling to the Federal Government," a Q&A session with Sandia's Manufacturing Liaison/Machine Shop Team, and "How to Navigate Sandia's Business Opportunities and Mandatory Requirements."

The overwhelming turnout and positive feedback from participants underscore the fair's role as a vital conduit for small businesses seeking to partner with Sandia and the broader DOE community. The event not only facilitated valuable connections but also equipped suppliers with essential knowledge to thrive in the federal contracting landscape. Sandia remains committed to supporting small businesses and enhancing opportunities for collaboration in the future.

Thanks to Sandia National Laboratories for their continued partnership and commitment to small businesses and for sharing this great success story!

Legislative Updates

Below are recent updates from the Small Business Procurement Advisory Council regarding government contracting programs:

1. FAR Final Rule: Puerto Rico/Territory proteges (Jan. 3, 2025)

• Mentor receives positive consideration for past performance
  evaluation and can apply training costs to subcontracting goals
  where:
  • SBA Protégé has principal office in Puerto Rico or a U.S. territory
  • Defines as, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the Northern
    Mariana Islands
• ANC-owned subcontractors do not need subcontracting plans

More information:

Federal Register (90 FR 523)

2. FAR Final Rule: Representation of Size/Socioeconomic Status (Jan.3, 2025)

• Requires size and socioeconomic status representation for:
  • Set-aside task orders on unrestricted multiple-award contracts, unless the
    order is issued against a reserve for which size and/or status was required;
    and
  • Set-aside orders on a multiple-award contract that was set aside for a
    different socioeconomic status.
• Federal Supply Schedule exempt.

More information:

Federal Register (90 FR 517)

📅Mark Your Calendars

Below are upcoming small business events and training. Please visit the Small Business Events Calendar on the OSDBU’s website for more information.

• May 13-16, 2025 | VETS25 (May 13-16, 2025)
• May 14, 2025 | SLAC Small Business Opportunities Day