Department of Veterans Affairs Commits to Participate Fully in SAME's 2019 SBC

In 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Construction and Facility Maintenance/Management (CFM) procurement opportunities will be hosted at SAME's Federal Small Business Conference (SBC) in Dallas, TX November 20-22, 2019. In 2018, the National Veterans Small Business Engagement (NVSBE) was construction-focused and co-located with SBC. SAME has received a commitment from the VA that those involved in construction/facilities (CFM) opportunities will participate fully in SAME’s SBC. Representatives from the VA will speak in SBC sessions, host networking roundtables, exhibit, etc. Representatives from SAME have been meeting with the VA regularly and will have representation from CFM, Veterans Health Administration, the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) office, and others.

If your company previously participated in the NVSBE please be advised that you can meet the Department of Veterans Affairs Procurement Decision Makers at SBC regarding opportunities in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Facility Maintenance Industries. The NVSBE website (https://nvsbe.com/) indicates this year’s engagement will ONLY showcase procurement opportunities in the medical supplies and services; information technology; and specialty supplies and services business lines. Please see below for some of the commonly asked questions in regard to this event.

The Honorable James Byrne Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs at the 2018 SBC.

The Department of Veterans Affairs co-located with the SAME SBC in 2018 allowing attendees to benefit from meeting with more government decision makers in one location.

What Industries Will Be Present at SBC?

The 2019 SBC will attract industry-specific procurement-ready vendors to Procurement Decision Makers (PDM) in Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Facilities Maintenance to enable businesses to take advantage of opportunities in this sector. Representation from the VA CFM, Veterans Health Administration, the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) office will be present at the SBC.

Will the VA host the NVSBE for Other Industries Not Represented at SBC?

Yes, the VA will host a NVSBE in December this year to serve the medical supplies/services, information technology and specialty supplies/services communities ONLY.

If I am a Past NVSBE A/E/C Participant and Wish to Connect with the VA, Military and/or Other Government Agencies, What Should I Do?

Register to attend the SBC in Dallas this November 20-22. All of the parties above will be present and working to support small and large businesses focused on architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management/maintenance.