Small business equals big business for Savannah River Site contractors and the site's Department of Energy office, as the various groups collectively generated more than $170 million in revenue through small business ventures in fiscal year 2014.
Dave Hepner, the director of an acquisition management office on site, presented the information to the SRS Citizens Advisory Board, or CAB, during the board's bimonthly meeting last week.
According to Hepner, the site's management and operations contractor, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, conducted business with nearly 1,400 small businesses in the last three years. The contractor earned $84.1 million for fiscal year 2014.
Fiscal year 2014 earnings for other contractors include: $31.9 million in working with more than 400 businesses for Savannah River Remediation, the site's liquid waste contractor; $44.6 million working with nearly 350 businesses for Parsons, the salt waste contractor; $3.3 million for Centerra, the security contractor; and $13.5 million in working with about 50 businesses for the Energy Department office at SRS.
Hepner said the types of companies contractors conduct business with include staff augmentation to material suppliers, construction and consulting companies.
"They are chosen through the competitive process and self-marketing means," he said.
In addition to having a lane to generate revenue, the federal government is also gatekeeping the process so that various types of businesses get opportunities. For example, the government has a list of statutory goals that require federal agencies to conduct business with women-owned businesses, disadvantaged businesses and others.
The overall effort dates back to the creation of the Small Business Administration in 1953. The group works with federal agencies to award at least 23 percent of all prime government contract dollars to small businesses.
Using those merits, Hepner said contractors work each year to assist small businesses in one-on-one counseling, training workshops, networking opportunities and technical guidance.
"Small business is the backbone of our country. We need to work with them and quite frankly, we're happy to work with them," he said.
Earl Sheppard, a member of the Citizens Advisory Board, was one of several board members who expressed their level of shock with the amount of money generated.
"I'm just impressed by the numbers and I'm glad this community is seeing a return on its investment," Sheppard said.
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Georgia, and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.