Announcement comes as Obama Administration Celebrates National Small Business Week
– By Chris Smith –
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has announced that it has awarded two of NNSA’s most important Information Technology contract orders to small business contractors. The announcement of this new contract comes days after President Obama declared May 23-29 national Small Business Week.
OnPoint Consulting, Inc. has been awarded a $52 million order for operation of NNSA’s Information Assurance Response Center (NIARC) located in Las Vegas, NV, a facility that continuously monitors all activity going through the Nuclear Security Complex (NSC) computer firewall system, providing intrusion detection and event forensics. Metrica Team Venture has been awarded a $70 million order for Information Technology (IT) and Cyber Support for NNSA Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“These contracts further supports President Obama’s commitment to improve government acquisitions by providing greater opportunities for small businesses and demonstrates NNSA’s commitment to being a good steward of American tax dollars,” said NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino. “NNSA will continue to seek opportunities for small businesses.”
The Obama administration has made expanding opportunities for small businesses to compete for federal contracts a top priority. Over the last 15 years, small businesses have created 64 percent of the new private sector jobs, and small businesses employ half of the nation's private sector workforce.
Awarded competitively, these orders combined represent NNSA’s $22 million savings over the prior single contract. Both companies are small businesses under the General Administration Services’ (GSA) Alliant Small Business Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) contract. Both contract orders are for five years and were issued on a fixed price basis.
These awards demonstrate the NNSA’s commitment to improving Government acquisition by reducing high risk contracting through competition and greater use of fixed-price contract arrangements, and providing greater opportunities for small businesses.
In FY2009, NNSA distributed more than $418 million in small business obligations for federal prime contracts in fiscal year 2009 – up from $241 million in FY2006, $396 million in FY2007 and $378 million in FY 2008. In addition, NNSA surpassed its departmental small business goal by more than 15 percent in fiscal year 2009.
For more information on NNSA’s investment in small businesses: http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/factsheets/smallbusinessinvestment
Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science in the nation’s national security enterprise. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; reduces the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad. Visit http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/ for more information.