I am pleased to announce the winners of our 16th Annual Small Business and Small Business Advocate Awards for performance in Fiscal Year 2019. Unfortunately, due to the virtual environment we are operating in, we cannot hold our traditional in-person awards ceremony. Since inception, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has committed to implementing the federal public policy objective of including small businesses in our contracting program to the maximum extent practicable. The DHS Small Business Program continues to be one of the Department's flagship procurement initiatives and is arguably the strongest small business program in the federal government.
These awards recognize 19 small businesses for their outstanding work in support of the DHS mission, one mentor-protégé team that embraces the partnership principle of small business development, and nine DHS employees who have been strong supporters of the DHS Small Business Program.
The Small Business Award recipients were nominated by Components across DHS and include representation from all small business socioeconomic categories, including HUBZone, 8(a), women-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.
Through our partnerships with the small business community, DHS has protected our homeland, supported our economy, and saved taxpayers money.
I encourage you to read more about each of the award recipients and their contributions in this publication.
Thank you to all the award recipients!