The Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) Office of Small Business Programs plans to launch a mentorship program for small vendors to help expand their capabilities and build a more resilient industrial base.
The DLA Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) will incentivize successful DLA prime contractors to provide developmental assistance to small businesses interested in building new skillsets, refining processes, and maneuvering Federal acquisition processes, the agency said on Aug. 13.
“This is another tool that we will use to help strengthen our defense industrial base,” said DLA Small Business Director Daniele Kurze. “It will give small businesses new opportunities to grow and learn from large suppliers, which can help us fill critical gaps in our supply chain down the road.”
The MPP is an extension of a Pentagon pilot program established during the First Gulf War that became permanent under the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
Chris Hall, DLA’s deputy director of small business, said the MPP is an investment in DLA’s supply chains and will help solve challenges by removing bottlenecks and developing new sources for hard-to-fulfill requirements.
“The program presents a unique opportunity to expand the industrial base by investing in the capabilities of small businesses to improve DLA’s ability to respond to warfighters’ needs,” he said.
The types of reimbursable assistance mentors may provide to small vendors are listed in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement and include support in software, inventory control, manufacturing, test and evaluation, and quality assurance. Mentors may also assist protégés with general business processes such as personnel management and systems compliance, the agency said.
DLA said it will help participants find appropriate partners by offering venues like matchmaking.
DLA’s small business lead Kurze and her team collaborated with the Defense Department and military services that have already executed mentor protégé agreements to determine how to best shape DLA’s new program.
“We’ve taken a targeted approach in focusing on critical areas and establishing internal guidelines and repeatable processes,” she said, adding that the first agreements will focus on supporting specific weapons systems.
