The BWI Business District is home to the National Security Agency (NSA), the largest intelligence agency in the area. The NSA is home to America’s codebreakers and codebreakers and is located within the Ft Meade footprint.
The NSA provides sensitive security information to US military leaders and decision makers. The primary mission is to protect US national security systems and produce foreign signals intelligence. By its very nature, what the NSA does requires a high degree of confidentiality.
This issue of confidentiality creates an interesting challenge for entrepreneurs who are interested in doing business with the agency.
The NSA operates very differently from most other federal agencies with regard to purchases and acquisitions. In most federal agencies, the procurement process is fairly transparent in the sense that if you know where to look, you can locate published budgets, forecasts, and contract opportunities.
The NSA operates in a much more closed or secure business environment. For the NSA and other agencies in the intelligence sector, it is impossible to publicly announce budgets, forecasts, and contract opportunities because doing so would make highly sensitive national security information public knowledge and threaten the agency’s effectiveness and national security.
However, it is not impossible to obtain contracts from the NSA. Many companies in the BWI business district are well-established NSA vendors. How they did it? Some began by training NSA employees who left government service to become business owners. Other firms that had no such “inside” advantage were able to navigate the secret processes and, through strong differentiators and persistence, eventually found appropriate contract opportunities to bid on.
In recent years, the NSA has become more open to new business and has established a proactive vendor program to serve both large and small companies.
The NSA’s newly redesigned website (www.nsa.gov) also incorporated a state-of-the-art vendor registration process called the Acquisition Resource Center (ARC). This mandatory business registration database serves as a single source for procurement information. It also serves as a market research tool for NSA personnel. Contracting officers, program managers, business managers, technical directors, and small business specialists use the ARC Business Registry to identify potential vendors for specific procurement requirements.
It is important to realize that becoming an NSA vendor is a long and drawn out process. It is the supplier’s responsibility to learn the necessary processes and follow them to the letter. As stated in a briefing from the agency: “The success of your company may depend on understanding the security requirements and mindset of the intelligence community. Breaking the secrecy surrounding the NSA is a task that few members of the business community navigate successfully without guidance. “
The NSA’s Office of Small Business Programs is charged with providing that guidance and ensuring that small businesses of all types, including HUBZone, veterans, women, and disadvantaged business owners, have the opportunity to participate in contracting opportunities. The current stated goal for all small business contracts is 26% of all contracts, and last year’s total came in at 30%, exceeding the goal.
Please note that all vendors must also meet the necessary security clearance requirements for projects. Fortunately, the NSA has instituted a unique program called the Provisional Industrial Security Approval (PISA) Sponsorship Program. While it is not an easy program to get into, it is still faster than the regular Defense Security System (DSS) program. The PISA security clearance process requires a “sponsor” to recommend a provider. Once this recommendation is validated and the application is approved, the provider has access to certain levels within the NSA to market their business.
Current NSA contractors and even competitors can be a great source of business, a team partner, or even an NSA prime contractor or subcontractor. Building relationships with current contractors can be one of the least complicated strategies for entering the market at the NSA.
Networking is a critical step in doing business with the NSA and all agencies in the intelligence community. It is a very good way to meet end users in a suitable environment. It is also the best method to find current NSA contractors and start building relationships with them. Two organizations that can help in this regard are AFCEA and Maryland Marketing Group.
One of the best ways to unlock the secret door to success at the NSA is to participate in the NSA-sponsored bi-weekly briefing: “Setting Up for Success: An Initial Guide to Working with the NSA.” This meeting is designed to help new vendors, large and small, learn how to do business with the NSA. Advance registration is required and it operates on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, go to www.nsa.gov and click on the “Business” tab.
