What it does
Empower veteran owned small businesses in the federal contracting ecosystem to succeed by providing training, engagement, and advocacy at all stages of a companys lifecycle.
Training: the organization equips veteranowned small businesses to succeed in federal contracting through year round training. Ourtraining academy delivers short, in person sessions taught by agency officials and industry experts, with 10+ classes annually andapproximately 969 participants. Complementary virtual charlie mike sessions and one-on-one consulting extend access nationwide and sustain learning between events. We also convened the veteran access to capital symposium, featuring 30+ expert speakers on financing strategies tailored to government contracting. Collectively, these programs build procurement.
Networking & engagement: the organization connects veterans to buyers, primes, and teaming partners through a national calendar of engagement events and flagship convenings. We host 30+ regional engagement events across 10 communities of interest each three-hour program blends a focused training session, structured networking, and a hosted meal to accelerate teaming and market awareness. Our annual vets conference serves as the anchor forum, most recently drawing 1,624 attendees and representatives from 30+ federal agencies, with matched networking appointments and curated learning tracks. These activities produce measurable connections to opportunities and resources that help veteran owned firms enter new markets and grow.
Advocacy: the organization advances policy and oversight that expand federal market access for veteran owned small businesses. In collaboration with legislative advisors, we executed a focused hill and agency engagement plan conducting approximately 174 federal procurement meetings and 43 congressional meetingsto advocate for fair certification, goal setting, and enforcement. Our coalition helped secure enactment of the fy2024 ndaa provision increasing the governmentwide sdvosb goal from 3% to 5% and supported reforms ending self-certification for sdvosb prime awards (effective 1/1/2024) and subcontracting credit (effective 10/1/2024). We also provide regular policy updates and represent the community on sba advisory bodies to inform rulemaking.