DVIDS – News – Large Turnout For Industry Day: Small Businesses Learn About Army Corps Procurements

The New York District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently held Industry Day in New York City where more than 150 professionals from small businesses around the region gathered for a full afternoon learning more about how to do business with the Army Corps of Engineers ─ it was the largest turnout for this event in recent memory.

$1.1 Billion Program

New York has a far-reaching $1.1 billion program overseeing some of the largest infrastructure projects in the areas of: a) navigation; b) environmental regulation; c) coastal-storm and flood-risk management; d) military construction; and e) emergency operations, among others.

After a welcome address by District Commander Col. Alexander Young, Programs and Project Management Chief Joseph Seebode provided an overview of available opportunities. He noted the District has a robust program across all business lines that improve the quality of life for citizens and soldiers (military construction); many projects are in line for the next 3-5 years; and an increasing number of emergency actions (responding to natural disasters) add to the workload.

Staff Presentations/Networking

After presentations by Chief of Military Programs Matthew Emigholz and Deputy Chief of Programs and Project Management Daniel Falt, an hour-long networking session was held where attendees had one-on-one discussions about their specific line(s) of business. Around the room, attendees actively sought out New York project managers and leaders. (Some participants waited in line due to the large turnout.)

In addition, New York’s Chief of Environmental, Interagency and International Services (EIIS) Helen Edge discussed opportunities for work in various environmental categories such as New York’s Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), Superfund cleanups and U.S. Army/Air Force Environmental Quality, among others.

Extensive Portfolio

Chief of the Operations Division Support Branch Michael Oseback spoke about the District’s extensive portfolio that includes:

▶ 1 Lock & Dam (Upstate New York)

▶ 26 Navigation structures

▶ 82 Federally-authorized navigation projects (dredging)

▶ 187 Miles of re-nourishable shoreline (sand placement)

▶ 727 Miles of navigation channels

Tips For Seeking Army Corps Work

Later, Small Business Chief Zachery Bernard spoke about low- and no-cost resources available to help small businesses compete for Army Corps contracting opportunities:

a) Registering with www.sam.gov to become familiar with the type of projects the Army Corps advertises.

b) Setting up ‘alerts’ on sam.gov to be notified when new projects are advertised.

c) Noting that persistence is a key element to securing project work on sam.gov.

d) Starting out with sub-contracting opportunities as an entry point.

e) Knowing the type and size of procurements to customize pitches.

f) Taking advantage of Small Business Offices at 43 Army Corps Districts across the U.S. that can help companies work through the process.

Other activities included an industry question-and-answer session where Army Corps personnel responded to participants’ questions, closing remarks from District Commander Col. Alexander Young, and post-event networking.