JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — The U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command kicks off its 2026 Advanced Planning Briefing for Industry May 18, bringing together contracting professionals, small business representatives and industry partners for a week long engagement focused on transparency, innovation and Army readiness.
Hosted May 18-22 virtually by MICC’s Office of Small Business Programs, the 2026 APBI began with day one briefings from senior Army and MICC leaders, including MICC Commanding General Brig. Gen. Freddy Adams and MICC Deputy to the Commanding General Clay Cole. Attendees also heard from the Department of the Army Office of Small Business Programs, representatives from MICC’s Office of Small Business Programs and leaders from the 418th Contracting Support Brigade, 419th Contracting Support Brigade, the Field Directorate Office at Fort Eustis and the Field Directorate Office at Fort Sam Houston.
The sixth-annual, command-wide event drew strong interest from industry partners, with over 2,300 registered participants, a 47% increase above last year.
MICC is a leader in Army contracting assigned under the Army Contracting Command and Army Materiel Command. In fiscal year 2025 MICC executed more than 22,000 contract actions valued at approximately $5.5 billion. The total included nearly 312,000 Government Purchase Card transactions worth more than $476 million and more than $3 billion in awards to small businesses.
“Those numbers represent real mission impact,” Adams said. “They reflect food and shelter, ranges, and other essential services delivered every day to Soldiers and families across the Army enterprise.”
Adams also highlighted the Army’s continued transformation efforts and MICC’s focus on improving collaboration with commercial and non-traditional vendors.
“Part of that transformation includes expanding the use of more flexible acquisition approaches, including Other Transaction Authorities, or OTAs, and increasing engagement with commercial, non-traditional, and innovative businesses,” Adams said.
Days two through five will focus entirely on one-on-one industry engagement sessions between businesses and MICC contracting professionals, marking a significant shift from previous APBI formats. The command will host over 400 structured one-on-one engagements to provide direct engagement opportunities between industry and contracting experts.
MICC planners said this year’s plan for one-on-one sessions directly reflects feedback from previous APBI participants seeking more personalized interaction with contracting personnel and acquisition teams.
Luis Trinidad, director of MICC’s Office of Small Business Programs, said each session provides an opportunity for market research engagements designed to help contracting personnel better understand the companies, and affords the companies better understanding of the Army requirements and contracting opportunities suited to their skill sets in the next two to three years.
“These are 25-minute structured market research engagements between industry and MICC contracting officers,” Trinidad said. “Participants can expect a focused discussion on their capabilities, how they align with Army needs, and the chance to receive tailored guidance based on their business size and experience.”
Clay Cole, deputy to the MICC commanding general, who originally directed the virtual small business engagement option due to COVID-19 safety considerations, said the command-wide event continually evolves based on industry feedback and collaboration, much like the MICC is evolving in light of Army transformation and contracting reform efforts.
“In fact, this year’s APBI reflects that same spirit of continuous improvement,” Cole said. “Based on industry feedback, we shifted toward more one-on-one engagement opportunities and direct conversations with contracting personnel because we know those interactions provide the greatest overall value for all those involved.”
The leaders also encouraged companies unable to attend the entire event or secure a one-on-one session to remain engaged by reviewing APBI materials posted to SAM.gov, establishing keyword alerts for opportunities, connecting with local APEX Accelerators and maintaining updated small business search profiles and capability statements for a wide variety of contracting opportunities.
“This year’s APBI reflects MICC’s continued commitment to transparency, early engagement and strengthening the industrial base,” Trinidad said. “The strong increase in registration and the rapid booking of one-on-one sessions demonstrate the high demand for meaningful engagement on worthwhile Army contracts.”
Trinidad noted that MICC has exceeded small business goals for 11 straight years, with the past six years strengthened by the transition from locally run outreach events to a unified command-wide APBI.
To close out his remarks, Adams explained the important role America’s small businesses have in Army contracting today, and into the foreseeable future.
“Small businesses remain absolutely critical to MICC’s transformation efforts,” Adams told attendees. “Your propensity for agility, innovation, specialized expertise and responsiveness absolutely strengthens our Army, improve readiness and positively impact mission outcomes.”
About the MICC
Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, theMission and Installation Contracting Commandcomprises about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. A subordinate command of the Army Contracting Command and the Army Materiel Command, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.
