# One-on-one support, webinars show DLA’s commitment to small business

/ Published Aug. 22, 2023
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
Jon Ferguson is on the Defense Logistics Agency’s payroll, but he answers to America’s small businesses.

“Every time a vendor calls, I work for them. I’m their conduit whether it’s to help them navigate the labyrinth of information on how to do business with the government or help them solve a post-award issue,” said Ferguson, a business opportunity specialist for DLA Land and Maritime.   

DLA obligated over 40% of its contracts to small businesses in fiscal 2022 although its Defense Department-assigned goal was 35.1%. Alandra Jones, a procurement analyst for DLA’s Office of Small Business Programs, links the agency’s success to its ongoing endeavor to demystify processes and the individualized support employees like Ferguson give to vendors daily.

                The Defense Logistics Agency’s small business team engages vendors at an information booth July 27-28, 2023, at the annual Navy Gold Coast Small Business Procurement Event in San Diego, California. Courtesy photo                            230821-D-D0441-1001                            The Defense Logistics Agency’s small business team engages vendors at an information booth July 27-28, 2023, at the annual Navy Gold Coast Small Business Procurement Event in San Diego, California. Courtesy photo            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Courtesy PhotoVIRIN: 230821-D-D0441-1001“Our outreach extends from small business associates attending industry conferences where we introduce vendors to DLA’s mission all the way to virtual training that allows vendors to connect with us no matter where they are,” Jones said. “To this day in 2023, I’m still surprised at the number of businesses that don’t know about DLA. That makes our outreach mission even more critical.” 

## Free online training

DLA Headquarters hosts at least 10 free webinars every year. Those that target companies in socioeconomic categories like woman- or veteran-owned are what Jones called holistic but short at just one hour each. They cover DLA’s structure and how much money the agency spends on small businesses, as well as how to find open solicitations and submit quotes through the DLA Internet Bid Board System. 

Webinars also focus on supply chains managed by DLA’s major subordinate commands.

“Vendors attending these get to know what that MSC does, what requirements they’re trying to fill, and in what areas they want to increase small business participation,” Jones added.

Since October 2021, over 880 companies have participated in webinars promoted by DLA Headquarters.

“Some vendors are trying to learn about us or break into doing business with DLA; others are looking to enhance the business they’re already doing with us,” said Ferguson, whose MSC also offers two-day seminars.

## Personal support

Small business teams throughout the agency even take impromptu calls from vendors. DLA Land and Maritime, for example, gets eight to 10 calls every week from vendors seeking help.  

                Defense Logistics Agency Small Business Director Dwight Deneal, far right, participates in a panel discussion with small business leaders from the military services July 27-28, 2023, at the annual Navy Gold Coast Small Business Procurement Event in Washington D.C. Courtesy photo                            230821-D-D0441-1003                            Defense Logistics Agency Small Business Director Dwight Deneal, far right, participates in a panel discussion with small business leaders from the military services July 27-28, 2023, at the annual Navy Gold Coast Small Business Procurement Event in Washington D.C. Courtesy photo            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Courtesy PhotoVIRIN: 230821-D-D0441-1003“We get all types of questions because doing business with DLA is really nuanced. I like to tell people that DLA is like a city unto itself, and it’s my job to get vendors to the right doorstep of the right house in that city,” Ferguson said.

In 2021, he took a call from an Ohio company looking to partner with the government for the first time. He connected the representative to a local APEX Accelerator, which provides technical assistance to businesses interested in selling products and services to federal, state and local governments. But Ferguson’s help didn’t end there, and six months later the company won its first DLA contract.

“With some technical help from the APEX, I went through the process with him from cradle to grave. I’d venture to say we talked probably 15 times in all. We should probably be trading Christmas cards,” he said.

The vendor now receives assistance from DLA Troop Support’s small business team since its contract falls within that MSCs supply chain, but Ferguson said his affiliation with DLA Land and Maritime highlights the enterprise-wide mindset of the agency’s small business specialists. No matter where in DLA they work, their goal is to arm companies with knowledge.

Jones added that DLA is continually looking for new ways to attract small businesses. She now invites vendors who participate in publicly announced webinars and contract with the government but not with DLA to a targeted webinar that helps them link their businesses’ expertise to DLA-managed supplies.

At the end of each webinar, she also provides each MSC with a list of vendors who participated in webinars and specialize in their supply chain.

                Navy Lt. Nicholas Swanda, forward, and Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Norman Williams inspect pressure valves in the torpedo room of the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Alaska. The Defense Logistics Agency partnered with small businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research Program to source salinity cells for the SSBN in March 2023. Photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli Buguey                            180724-N-LI612-1013                            Navy Lt. Nicholas Swanda, forward, and Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Norman Williams inspect pressure valves in the torpedo room of the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Alaska. The Defense Logistics Agency partnered with small businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research Program to source salinity cells for the SSBN in March 2023. Photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli Buguey            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli BugueyVIRIN: 180724-N-LI612-1013“Sharing that information helps DLA contracting teams include those companies when they do things like market research to determine if there are existing businesses that match our needs,” Jones said.

When the agency finds at least two small businesses qualified to provide a specific supply or service, the contract can be set aside specifically for small business competition, she added.

## Matchmaking

Refreshing webinars with new information and follow-up sessions every couple of years helps the agency continually appeal to new and existing vendors. Matchmaking sessions available only to vendors who’ve already attended a public webinar will return in fiscal 2024 after a one-year hiatus. The sessions will give companies 15 minutes to describe their specialties and socioeconomic categories to a specific MSC, then ask questions about upcoming opportunities.

“The purpose is to create a connection and start the dialog,” Jones said.

A webinar on the Small Business Innovation Research Program will also return in fiscal 2024 to educate suppliers on opportunities for research and development projects that address critical supply chain gaps and security threats.

Ferguson said every move DLA makes to increase small business partnerships can potentially help strengthen the U.S. economy and defense industrial base. Getting vendors to understand they must meet certain requirements and registrations just to bid on solicitations is his biggest challenge, however.

“The hardest part is getting them to understand there are steps they have to take to even be eligible to compete, but it’s worth it for them,” he said. “It’s worth taking the time because there are a lot of opportunities for them when they do.”

More details on getting started with DLA, contracting opportunities, and resources and contacts are available DLA’s small business webpage.