NETL's Small Business Corner
NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. Through its world-class scientists, engineers and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security. Leveraging the power of our workforce highly skilled innovators at NETL’s research laboratories in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to ensure America’s security and prosperity through transformative science and technology solutions.
NETL has focused efforts to maximize procurement opportunities for small businesses while advancing both DOE and Laboratory missions. The below provides information and resource support on NETL’s small business program to help the small business community identity opportunities to do business with DOE and NETL.
NETL Goals vs Achievements Historical Summary:
Small Business Goal | Small Business Actual | |
---|---|---|
FY2024 | 40.56% | 49.43% |
FY2023 | 32% | 41% |
FY2022 | 36% | 38.26% |
FY2021 | 41% | 50.21% |
FY2020 | 40% | 51.4% |
Acquisition Opportunities
NETL is committed to providing maximum practicable acquisition opportunities to small business socio-economic categories as follows: Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB); Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Businesses; 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Businesses; and Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB).
Small Business Set-Asides
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) establishes small business procurement goals for every federal agency. In FY2024, the SBA federal-wide prime small business goal was 17% of procurement dollars. NETL established an overall small business goal at 40.56% in FY2024 based on anticipated procurement spend. The chart above recognizes NETL’s strong small business procurement achievements over the past 5 fiscal years.
Subcontracting Opportunities
Subcontracting opportunities are available with support contractors that work at NETL facilities. When the prime contractor is a large business, the contract exceeds $750,000, and subcontracting opportunities exist, the contractor must have a subcontracting plan with established goals for subcontracting to small businesses. The plan is not required if the prime contractor is a small business. However, they are encouraged to provide opportunities to other small businesses. For more information on NETL’s site support contracts visit our Site Support Electronic Reading Room.
Small Business Goals
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) establishes small business procurement goals for every federal agency. In FY2024, the SBA federal-wide prime small business goal was 17% of procurement dollars. NETL established an overall small business goal at 40.56% in FY2024 based on anticipated procurement spend. The chart below recognizes NETL’s strong small business procurement achievements over the past 5 fiscal years.
Solicitations
Award values exceeding $10,000 require vendors to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to issuance. NETL encourages vendors to monitor public Government portals, such as, www.SAM.gov, www.FedConnect.net, www.ebuy.gsa.gov, www.sewp.nasa.gov and www.netl.doe.gov/business/site-support for information on upcoming and potential NETL opportunities. NETL, as well as many other Government agencies, utilizes these websites/portals to post requests for information (RFIs) and solicitation notices.
Forecast Of Opportunities
NETL posts information about upcoming requirements and solicitations on NETL’s Site Support Electronic Reading Room at netl.doe.gov/business/site-support. DOE’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization’s (OSDBU) website provides easy access to the DOE laboratory system’s forecasted requirements, which can be found at www.energy.gov/osdbu/acquisition-forecast. DOE OSDBU’s website, www.energy.gov/osdbu, is devoted to helping small businesses and provides information on activities such as training and conference opportunities. The OSDBU website is a valuable source of information for the small business community.
Events
- June 25-26, 2025 DOE Small Business Forum & Expo
Resource Links
- Doing Business with DOE | Department of Energy
- Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization | Department of Energy
- DOE’s Acquisition Forecast
- DOE’s Small Business Program Directory
- U.S. Small Business Association
- Government Agency Coordination Office (GACO)
- NETL’s “Small Business First” flyer
- NETL’s Site Support Electronic Reading Room
- DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Office