On July 18, 2024, the FAA Small Business Program Office (AAP-20) held its 10th Annual Small & Disadvantaged Business Industry Day and Matchmaking Event at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC). This year’s event was the first in-person (and on-site) event held at the MMAC since the global health crisis. It drew more than 150 attendees, including representatives from 89 small and disadvantaged businesses. The event opened with an inspiring rendition of our National Anthem sung by I’Leta Young, Projects Specialist, ATO Product Services Group-PSG, (AJW-L500), followed by opening remarks and welcome remarks from Jake Lewis, Director of Acquisition Policy, and Oversight (AAP-1), FAA Headquarters, and Kevin O’Connor, Deputy Director (AMC-2), FAA MMAC.
In his remarks, Mr. Lewis shared the FAA’s vision and plans for achieving the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) through the execution of Executive Order 13985, "Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government." He acknowledged that Small and Disadvantaged Businesses are vital in helping the FAA to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world, and reinforced the agency’s commitment to expanding small business contracting opportunities. As a result of this strategic alignment, the FAA has exceeded all of its small business goals for the past eleven years. With its obligations for procurement growing in FY24, the agency is on track to exceed its small business goals once again, with over 30% awarded to small businesses, 17% awarded to small & disadvantaged businesses, 6% to women-owned small businesses, and 4.5% to service-disabled, veteran-owned small business.
Mr. Lewis also highlighted that with the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) billions of dollars are being invested into the FAA’s aging Air Traffic Facilities, making the need for small and disadvantaged business participation in FAA acquisition more vital than it has ever been. BIL is historic and unprecedented, in that it will be providing the FAA $1B each year from FY ’22 through FY ’26 for Air Traffic facilities, in addition to its usual annual allocation funding. "We will be challenged to meet all of our small and disadvantaged business and project goals; a challenge we will certainly meet," said Lewis.
Kevin O’Connor welcomed everyone to the FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) and shared that, "most of the MMAC’s procurement and contracting activities involve various support services, National Airspace System sustainment activities, construction and renovation, security, facility maintenance, and human factors research." The FAA handles, on average, 16,700 contract actions for more than $4.8 billion in goods and services each year." He noted that many of MMAC’s procurements and contracts have historically been performed by Small and Disadvantaged Businesses.
At the Aeronautical Center alone, the average annual total contract expenditures are in the $500M range. In FY-23, the FAA spent $792M, of which $412M (55%) went to small businesses and $237M (32%) went to Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs), making the Center a major player and supporter of small and disadvantaged business utilization.
Succeeding remarks were provided by Senior Executives. Program briefings were provided by the following MMAC/Tenant organization representatives (who also participated in the Matchmaking Session). Special thanks to these contributors who helped make the event a success:
AMA (FAA Academy):
Alan Spaulding, Manager, Training Support Branch (AMA-405), Technical Operations Training Division, AMA-400).
AAQ-700 (Aeronautical Center Acquisition Services & Franchise Acquisitions Division):
Kevin Gramling, Manager, Facilities & Aviation Safety Acquisition Contracting Branch, AAQ-730.
AAM (Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI)):
Katharine (Kate) McCauley, Senior Business Specialist, Program Management Staff, AAM-6.
AMK (Enterprise Services Center (ESC)):
Monique (Mo) Walswick, Management & Program Analyst, Business and Admin. Support Branch, AMK-20.
AJW-L (FAA Logistics Center):
Fernando Monjaraz, Technical Program Support Manager, AJW-L800, Technical Programs Support Team, AutoComm Group, AJW-L800.
AMP (Office of Facility Management):
Chad Nimmo, A&E Division Team Lead, AMP-400.
Govmates, LLC. is a small business administration (SBA)-certified, Woman-Owned Small Business. They provided support and facilitated a three-hour matchmaking event.
The FAA Small Business Matchmaking Event included participants from across the U.S. representing industry and the federal government. Thirty-four buyer organizations were confirmed to participate in the matchmaking event. The majority were represented by FAA employees and the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU). For a complete list of Federal Government participants, see the attached list. Eighty-nine small businesses participated in the matchmaking event, for a total of 340, one-to-one matchmaking sessions. Each meeting took place during a 15-minute period, over the course of three hours. Small business attendees represented a diverse set of capabilities ranging from pilot training, manufacturing, precision machining, data analytics, medical staffing, and much more. Socio-economic set-asides included 8(a)’s, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSBs), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSBs), and HUBZone businesses (those small businesses in historically underutilized business zones).
Those businesses which were not able to attend confirmed meetings were able to engage in networking while the matchmaking activities were in session. Katharine McCauley, Senior Business Specialist, and the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) Business Program Management Staff (AAM-6) provided tours of CAMI for interested vendors. "Feedback from the event has been great, and we are looking forward to a broader agenda for next year’s 2025 FAA MMAC Industry Day and Matchmaking event," said Gerald Lewis, Small Business Advocate for the MMAC.
Thanks to everyone who supported this year’s FAA MMAC Small & Disadvantaged Business Industry Day and Matchmaking Event.
FAA Program Support for the 2024 MMAC Small & Disadvantaged Business Industry Day
