DLA, Ohio APEX empowers small businesses with specialized training program
An award-winning partnership between the Defense Logistics Agency Weapons Support Office of Small Business Programs and the Ohio APEX Accelerator continues to strengthen the Defense Industrial Base by equipping small businesses with the tools they need to succeed in the defense contracting landscape.
Through a series of specialized training webinars on the Defense Internet Bid Board System, the joint initiative has successfully brought hundreds of new suppliers into DLA’s industrial base.
DLA Weapons Support OSBP Director Kreston Harris said the partnership is a win-win, noting the exponential growth in the number of qualified small business entrants into DLA’s industrial base and the greater Defense Industrial Base since the webinar initiative began.
"The APEX Accelerators are our ultimate force multiplier,” he said. “They give us immediate access to a pool of hundreds of manufacturers we can tap into through these trainings, expanding our supplier network."
The further development of the partnership was the brainchild of Alonzo Burris, a small business specialist within DLA Weapons Support’s OSBP. He initiated a more robust collaboration with the Ohio APEX Accelerator at Ohio University, expanding the existing Defense Internet Bid Board System webinars to solve a disconnect he saw in the DLA industrial base.
“I kept seeing small businesses struggling to work with DLA because they were unable to navigate DIBBS, a primary pathway required to work with us,” Burris recalled. “At the same time, local APEX professionals also needed a deeper understanding of DIBBS to set up their small business clients for success.”
By partnering with the Ohio APEX team, Burris was able to launch an expanded DIBBS education initiative. “Working directly with Ohio APEX was key to the program’s success,” Burris said.
Ohio APEX saw the value in the DIBBS webinars, so they jumped at the chance to amplify their reach. Not only did the APEX team co-host the webinars on their own virtual training platform, they also cross-promoted them to their statewide client database through targeted email campaigns, promoted the sessions on social media and directly registered small business attendees. Additionally, Ohio APEX counselors gathered feedback from their clients to help Burris tailor the DIBBS subject matter to address real-world hurdles businesses face when they are trying to bid.
The bi-monthly webinars teach businesses how to navigate DIBBS - from successfully searching for, viewing, and submitting secure quotes on Requests for Quotations for DLA items of supply, to Requests for Proposals, Invitations For Bid, Contract Awards, and other procurement information related to DLA.
Burris said targeting Ohio APEX’s network of businesses proved the concept was valuable for those that were initially drawn in.
As more businesses benefitted, word of the program’s value spread within the APEX Accelerator business community, prompting a wave of inquiries from state accelerators in Michigan, Connecticut and Georgia, and from as far away as California and Washington.
“It’s grown into a national training initiative – averaging more than 150 attendees tuning in from accelerators nationwide,” he said. “The last session drew in almost 200 attendees, a new attendance record.”
Building on the success of the DIBBS sessions, Burris said the series recently expanded to include a DLA Logistics Operations-led session on the Joint Certification Program, which surfaced as another hurdle to small business participation in the defense contracting space. The JCP was a offering small businesses asked for, and Burris did the legwork to get a session designed by the experts within Logistics Operations to teach those sessions, also offered bi-monthly and hosted on the Ohio APEX training platforms.
The ongoing collaboration earned the “People's Choice" award from the National APEX Accelerator Alliance during their annual conference in Orlando, Florida.
Burris said the growth of this program sends a clear signal that its impact is tangible as the office is seeing increasing demand from businesses seeking to better understand how to successfully engage with DLA.
“The real impact goes beyond training,” he noted. “We are building a stronger, more capable supplier base – helping businesses move from simply pursuing opportunities to becoming sustainable, long-term partners supporting the warfighter.”
Harris echoed that sentiment.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our defense supply chain,” he said. “Partnering with APEX Accelerators ensures we are giving suppliers the support they need to successfully compete for DLA contracts.”
Ohio APEX Associate Director Karen Wivell said the partnership with DLA is invaluable because it ensures that content is accurate, current and aligned with real acquisition processes, reducing misinformation and increasing trust.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of the collaboration has been seeing how targeted education can empower hundreds of small businesses with the ability to contribute to DLA’s mission of supporting the warfighter,” Burris said.
DIBBS, JCP and the Training Knowledge Opportunities (two-day immersive workshops) for prospective and current small businesses are offered on a regular basis at no charge. Upcoming sessions include:
For more information on DLA’s small business programs, go to DLA’s Small Business website.
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