Networking Event Spotlights Small Business Programs

The chapter hosted a small business networking event in February that provided an afternoon of insights and interactions at the Fort Belvoir Officers' Club. Robert (Rob) Stewart Jr., director of acquisition and technology innovation in the Office of Small Business Programs, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), highlighted upcoming procurement and small business opportunities as well as key initiatives and goals for this fiscal year in a wide-ranging discussion. He spoke about steps the agency is taking to actively encourage competition to support the DTRA's vision, mission and key role in national security. The DTRA participates in the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs as well as the Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF). Each of these programs is funded at the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) level and provides a continuous proving ground to field DTRA areas of interest and mission sets. One of Stewart's key small business initiatives this fiscal year is to establish metrics to prioritize these concerns against agency mission sets and map them to acquisition programs of record to streamline acquisition. After his presentation, Stewart spoke one-on-one with attendees who approached, providing valuable feedback and contact information. Stewart's full presentation can be accessed at the chapter website: https://belvoir.afceachapters.org.

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