Jimmy Smith, director at the Department of the Navy’s small business programs office, said that DON has finished its audit on Naval Sea Systems Command subcontracting efforts and will perform similar reviews for nine other buying commands, Federal News Network reported Thursday.
“We’ve already seen the results of that and now we’re sharing that information across the entire enterprise to go off and correct problems,” Smith told Federal News Network in an interview.
He noted that the department has met goals set for contract awards to smaller companies over the past four years and works with the National Defense Industrial Association in facilitating an annual event to find vendors that can help address warfighter requirements.
The office director also believes contracting officials should use technology such as machine learning to determine performance assessment reporting issues with industry partners to ensure they are meeting subcontracting goals as well.
“I think we have to come up with a mechanism that brings the importance level of subcontract and compliance up to a higher level to raise it to the attention that it’s deserved,” Smith added.
