DOE PUBLISHES SMALL BUSINESS STRATEGIC PLAN TO GUIDE COOPERATION WITH SMALL BUSINESSES

Last week, the Department of Energy published its Small Business Strategic Plan, which outlines four priorities to guide DOE’s small business engagement from 2025 through 2030. The Department stated that it will be entering the next five-year period with a “strong foundation and a clear understanding of the vital role small businesses play in delivering its mission.”

The four strategic priorities are to:

1. Modernize Industry Engagement

   1. Goal: Create a transparent, cost-effective industry engagement model that strengthens DOE’s supply chain and prepares small businesses to better compete and support mission success.

2. Enable Data-Driven Innovation to Advance Small Business Procurement 

   1. Goal: Modernize tools, insights, and forecasts to improve planning, increase competition, and enhance alignment with DOE missions.

3. Expand the American Energy Small Business Industrial Base

   1. Goal: Strengthen the domestic energy supply chain by addressing participation gaps and building resilient small business capacity.

4. Sustain Strong Statutory Performance

   1. Goal: Maintain DOE’s longstanding record of meeting Small Business Act requirements while seeking opportunities to further enhance mission delivery and taxpayer value.

The four priorities that make up the plan will serve as a roadmap for DOE to “move beyond targets and scorecards, and for elevating small businesses from program compliance participants to essential mission partners.”  

DOE emphasizes that small businesses will remain central to delivering innovative solutions, advancing energy security, and ensuring value for the American taxpayer. By the end of July 2025, DOE plans to convene working groups comprised of experts in small business procurement subject matter from DOE and large prime contractors to develop implementation tactics and milestones for each of these strategic priorities.

To read the strategic plan, click here.