I am proud to announce that DHS has earned a grade of “A+” from the Small Business Administration for our accomplishments supporting America’s small businesses in fiscal year 2017. This marks the ninth consecutive year that DHS has earned an “A” grade or higher on the annual scorecard. DHS is the only agency out of the seven agencies with the largest purchasing activity to realize such success.
Last fiscal year, DHS awarded 34.75 percent of total contracting dollars to small businesses, greatly exceeding the government-wide goal of 23 percent. These goals were reached due to the hard work of our small business team working hand‑in‑hand with our procurement and program office professionals who never forget that the “we” in the DHS mission statement includes our small business community. The achievement also reflects that DHS is doing more than simply meeting goals, we are getting the job done, in part, because of the support we receive from innovative small businesses who help DHS deliver our critical mission each day.
To everyone who has helped DHS realize this accomplishment, please accept my sincere gratitude and admiration. Well done!