U.S. General Services Administration
Remarks for Department of Energy Small Business Forum & Expo on June 4, 2024 Prepared for Deputy Administrator Katy Kale
Thanks Ron. I’m Katy Kale, Deputy Administrator for GSA. My pronouns are she/her and, as a visual description, I am a white woman with long, light brown hair and I am wearing a navy blue and white dress, with a coral jacket - and my dark rimmed glasses. I am standing at a podium.
I am so happy to be here because I feel a strong kinship with small business owners like you. This is my second stint at GSA and, in between those two appointments, I was the President and Chief Operating Officer of a woman-owned small business.
I know firsthand that running a small business isn’t easy – it takes a lot of time, energy, and dedication. It is exhausting, but watching your team and your customers succeed makes all the long hours well worth it.
So, I know how personally invested you all are - and I know that good things take work… but I also know that it’s our job to help make it easier. That’s important to the Biden-Harris Administration and the entire GSA team.
We believe that government works best when it works for everyone – and that includes all of you.
After all, you’re the folks who hire, who innovate, and who drive our economy. America is stronger because of you.
That’s why I am so excited to be here today – I know how important it is for our nation’s small business entrepreneurs to have the training and information they need to succeed in the federal marketplace.
We know that who government buys from matters!
GSA’s OSDBU team is working hard to support companies like yours – especially those owned by veterans, women, minorities, and Tribal communities.
We want to work with you because we know that you bring a lot to the table:
- You’re delivering the products and services we need.
- You’re extremely nimble, so you can move fast when we need you to.
- And you’re great partners, ready to anticipate our needs and fill in gaps in the marketplace.
But I want to point out something else. It’s not just the products and services that you bring to the table. It’s also the personal perspectives and the lived experiences.
That means that when we issue RFIs, when we conduct outreach, and when communities express the need for new, updated, or more government services, your voices should naturally come to the forefront.
These aren’t just words on a page. They’re actions. Because when we increase diversity in the federal marketplace - we drive more value for taxpayers - and better mission outcomes for communities nationwide.
Let’s look at what’s happening across government for a moment:
- The President’s agenda has driven the first, second, and third strongest years of new business application rates on record - and is on pace for the fourth - with Americans filing a record 17.2 million new business applications.
- Last fiscal year, government contracting with small businesses supported 1 million jobs, including in manufacturing, construction, technology, and other vital industries.
- Plus, the White House has set a new goal to grow federal contracting with small disadvantaged businesses by 50%, translating to an additional $100 billion over five years.
That’s all great news and here’s what GSA is doing to support and sustain that growth.
First, I like to explain that GSA is the backbone of the federal government, from our 380 million square foot buildings portfolio to the technology services we provide, our goal is to deliver effective, efficient government that meets people where they are and makes their lives easier.
That goal is just as relevant to our role in procuring $100 billion of goods and services on behalf of the government.
We work hard to ensure all small businesses and socioeconomic small businesses are represented in the federal procurement process and have equal access to available procurement opportunities.
For example, GSA awarded $2.8 billion to small businesses like yours - in fact, nearly half of our eligible contract dollars went to small businesses. We exceeded all of our small and socioeconomic small business goals at the prime contract level and, last fiscal year, more than $1.32 billion went to small disadvantaged businesses.
We’re also committed to ensuring that all of you are well represented in the federal marketplace and have access to contracting opportunities. More than 3,700 socioeconomic small businesses are already on the GSA schedule, and it’s clear that you’re shaping the future of business in America.
We are proud of what we’ve been doing and we know that makes it easier for you to do what you do best - grow your business, create good jobs, and make positive change in your communities.
We still have a lot more work to do and that’s why we’re here today. After all, YOU are OUR customers and we want to help position you for ongoing success.
How will we do that?
First, we want to make it easier for you before and after you get that first contract.
- Whether that’s helping you get a Multiple Award Schedule…
- Providing more on-ramps to contracting opportunities…
- Or increasing opportunities for 8(a) firms through our Program Partnership Agreement with the Small Business Administration – and that includes sole source awards.
Simply put, it should be easy for you to sell to government without navigating a bunch of forms and sites.
Second, we want to build out new markets for small business contractors, particularly in fast-growing fields like sustainability and emerging technologies like AI.
One example is a recent initiative that highlights our commitment to both sustainability and Tribal communities. We’re collaborating with the Department of Energy and the White House to make clean energy investments that benefit Tribal communities – all while supporting the President’s goal of powering all federal operations with carbon free electricity by 2030.
This is one way we’re building strong partnerships, respecting Tribal sovereignty, and helping Tribal communities prosper.
We want all small businesses to have these kinds of opportunities – that’s why we’re increasing our outreach and training opportunities.
We want to connect you to contracting and small business experts who are terrific resources for training, education, and support. We want to tell you about the upcoming opportunities and share our needs with you… while also hearing directly from you about what’s working and what’s not. The feedback loops from you and your industries are crucial.
Finally, feedback like that helps us stay accountable to you. We regularly review our established performance metrics - the good, the bad and the ugly - to measure and track our progress toward our goals. And we regularly listen to what you have to say as well.
Now for the bragging part… We have earned an A grade or higher on our Small Business Administration scorecard for 13 years in a row – and just got another A plus in the most recent release!
We see those high grades as inspiration and motivation to make an even greater impact – that’s why we want to hear about your needs and how we can better meet them.
These commitments are more than just goals - they’re an integral part of our mission delivery.
Looking ahead, we’re focusing on some areas where we think your businesses can have a big impact, such as…
- Focusing on sustainable procurement, using renewable energy sources, and making federal buildings more energy efficient,
- Investing in values-driven implementation of emerging technology – especially AI,
- And driving good customer experience so that we’re delivering for and building trust with the American people.
We understand that sustainability is more than just protecting the environment and that AI is about more than automation. For us, advancements like these ensure the long-term well-being and prosperity of our communities… and we want you to be part of that.
So, please take advantage of as many of our resources as possible – you can find them on GSA DOT GOV. We’ve developed them to help give you answers and solutions for your business and many, if not all, are free of charge.
I’ll leave you with this: if we want to deliver government services that actually meet the needs of all Americans, we need to buy from – and work with – communities across the country, including all of you.
That’s how we can deliver the right service, at the right moment, in the right way – because government works best when it works for everyone.
I hope you take full advantage of all GSA has to offer you today and in the future.
I hope that you all build relationships that help you grow, hire and succeed, and that you will help us tell the story of how government can truly deliver for people throughout our diverse nation.
Thank you, and have a wonderful day!