Glossary / Agencies
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business UtilizationOSDBU
Every federal agency with contracting authority has an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (in DoW, the Office of Small Business Programs), created by the Small Business Act to make sure small businesses get a fair share of the agency's contracts. The OSDBU reviews acquisition plans for set-aside potential, runs the agency's small-business specialists, publishes the acquisition forecast, hosts outreach and matchmaking events and reports the agency's performance against its goals. Its director reports to the agency head.
Why it matters to your pipeline
The OSDBU and its small-business specialists are the front door to an agency for a company with no contacts: they take capability statements, make introductions to program offices and know which buys will be set aside. They cannot award contracts, but they shape which ones are reserved for small firms. GovSmith's vCMs know the specialists at the agencies their clients target.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
A small environmental firm sends its capability statement to the EPA's OSDBU and attends its vendor outreach session. A specialist there flags an upcoming set-aside for site assessments and introduces the firm to the regional contracting office.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.