LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District received two awards in December for its efforts at ensuring USACE exceeded its small business goal for the fourth year in a row.
Col. Kimberly Colloton, LA District commander, was on hand in Kansas City to receive the awards for the District. According to Mary Spencer, the District’s small business specialist, the LA District took second place out of all the districts in USACE in two Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business-related categories for Fiscal Year 2012.
“Each year, Headquarters USACE assigns small business goals to each District, to strengthen accountability for small business goal achievement,” said Spencer. “Small businesses help stimulate economic growth.”
The LA District spent more than $59 million with SDVOSB this past fiscal year and nearly 20 percent of the District's business went to SDVOSB.
“The federal government buys nearly $100 billion worth of goods and services from small businesses each year,” Spencer said. “Small business provides employment opportunities to people who may not be employable by larger corporations.”
The Los Angeles District’s Small Business mission is "to sustain the US Army Corps of Engineers as a premier organization in developing small businesses and maximizing opportunities to participate in federal procurement.” Spencer said that mission is the driving force behind the District’s commitment in leading the Army in small business goal achievement.
“To achieve our small business goals, the District's small business advocate is actively engaged in ensuring that the District command, leadership, engineers, program and project managers are advised on acquisition-related policy and compliance issues involving small business,” Spencer explained. “The District maintains a close outreach relationship with partners, small business organizations within the federal, city and county government agencies.”
One example of this is the District Open House events held at locations across the District’s area of responsibility. At those events, District personnel are on hand to ensure that small businesses are advised and aware of federal procurement opportunities with the LA District.
“The Corps of Engineers works hard to ensure opportunities to participate in the federal procurement process are afforded to small businesses,” Spencer said. “The Office of Small Business Programs wants to ensure that small businesses get their fair share of work with the federal government and the LA District.”