The U.S. Department of Homeland Security scored an "A+" on the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Small Business Procurement Scorecard, the seventh consecutive year the agency received the highest attainable mark. DHS has earned an "A" rating or higher for 14 years in a row.
"The annual Scorecard is an assessment tool that (1) measures how well federal agencies reach their small business and socioeconomic prime contracting and subcontracting goals, (2) provides accurate and transparent contracting data, and (3) reports agency-specific small business program progress," the agency said in a July 18 news release. "DHS is the largest federal agency to achieve such a high-scoring record since the SBA implemented the letter grade format in FY 2009."
DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas established a goal in June 2022 to "surpass the DHS Fiscal Year 2022 small, disadvantaged business goal of 17%," according to the release.
President Joe Biden tasked the Office of Management and Budget with finding effective processes to assess if agency policies fairly serve all individuals and communities, especially those which have historically been underserved, through January 2021's Executive Order 13985, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government,” the release reported. The government-wide prime goal for FY22 increased from 5% to 11%; DHS surpassed the goal by achieving 17.66%, the DHS' highest achievement, according to the release.
In the previous fiscal year, DHS exceeded its own goal of 34.5% and the government-wide target of 23%, by awarding 39.51% of all eligible contracting dollars to small firms, the release stated. Additionally, DHS surpassed its Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) objective for the 11th consecutive fiscal year, achieving 5.2%, versus the overall government goal of 3%.
"These outstanding records further solidify DHS’s standing as a leader in federal procurement and small business contracting," the agency said in the release.
E. Darlene Bullock, executive director of DHS’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization said in the release that DHS obligated $9.1 billion to American small businesses in FY22, more than $1 billion more than in the previous fiscal year.
"The Department’s ability to exceed its increased small, disadvantaged business goal of 17.0% with an achievement of 17.66% is a testament to our committed partnership with small businesses and underserved communities,” Bullock said in the release.
DHS Chief Procurement Officer Paul Courtney said the agency values the country's small businesses and understands that working with them is crucial to the success of DHS's mission, according to the release.
"We’re proud to have a procurement culture that focuses on maximizing opportunities for small businesses on DHS contracts," Courtney said in the release, "and we’re glad to be recognized for our longstanding commitment and partnership with American small businesses."
