A Small Business
Uploaded by sibtainalis on Oct 13, 2014
Describe the Business
I am a small business owner. In fact, the business is a service-disabled veteran-owned business. I qualify as a service-disabled veteran-owned business as the Department of Veteran Affairs has determined that I have a service-connected disability after my six years of service, and I own over 51% of my business.
My business produces prosthetic limbs for amputees. The prosthetic limbs are made specifically to fit the veteran. The recent Iraq and Afghanistan wars have left many service members in need of prostheses. Additionally, the aging veteran population is also in need of prostheses due to diabetes and other long-term diseases.
Federal Government Procurement Opportunity
The Department of Veteranss Affairs develops medical contracts to supply prosthetics to veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs has contracts with various companies, such as Morfey Limbs and Braces, to provide prosthetic limbs. Many of these companies are large and are not certified with the Small Business Administration, but the Department of Veteran Affairs is charged, nationally, with having 10% of their contracts be with service-disabled veteran-owned businesses
My business can help the Department of Veterans Affairs meet their goal of 10%.
The Department of Veterans Affairs contract for prosthetic limb with vendors at the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and their acquisition centers. My business is located in VISN 12 and their Great Lakes Acquisition Center area More specifically, my business is located in Chicago, IL. Veterans often have local vendors to design and create their limbs. Many veterans live within the Chicagoland area, and being a service-disabled veteran-owned business, I am more likely to earn the business of the veterans in need of prosthetics because I am just like them: a veteran.
Current Strategies and Strategic Success
Strategic business planning is essential for company wishing to contract with the government. To plan strategically, the contractor must answer three questions: “Where does the organization want to go?; What is the environment in which the organization operates and competes?; How will the organization get to where it wants to go (i.e., what actions are required)?”
My company wants to win a prosthetic contract from the GLAC. It is one thing to be a one-off sole source purchase due to the veteran’s choice, but it is another to have the company on a contract with the government. That is where we want to go with the business.
The company operates in a competitive environment. While there are few companies that make prosthetic...