What is a DAP Event?

The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) plays a large role in ensuring programs, services, and support resources reach the Veteran small business community. The Direct Access Program (DAP) offers unique opportunities for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) to build partnerships and maximize networking through structured events.

Why Attend a DAP Event?

DAP events provide VOSBs and SDVOSBs with opportunities to:

• Engage with representatives from Federal agencies and commercial firms to build business relationships;
• Learn about industry-specific trends, developments and procurement opportunities to help support business growth; and
• Network with other businesses to identify and discuss possible subcontracting and teaming opportunities.

The DAP team’s involvement helps to reduce the level of effort on the part of the Procurement Decision Maker’s (PDM) need to conduct interactive market research with VOSBs and SDVOSBs.

Our Success Stories

• “Great session. Appreciate the information.”
• “Great platform, thank you.”

• “Thank you for the time invested in affording me the opportunity to have this meeting!”
• “This was a very good meeting. I’m really pleased that the VA is helping SDVOSB community by setting up these alliances. I look forward to maximizing this opportunity. Truly appreciated. Thanks a lot.”
• “Thanks for your help with DAP is a great platform to help small businesses.”

• Well-attended
• Opportunity to enhance content from 2020 event.

• Sessions were successful.
• “One of the best small business programs in the country.”

• “Thank you for the opportunity.”
• “I really appreciate the time everyone from Schneider Electric took to hold this informational session.”

• “Great planning and communication processes.”

Previous Success Stories

• V1-on-1: Executing 1 NDA for upcoming projects; 4 projects in the pipeline based on follow-up from the VBOS.
• VBOS: “I really appreciated having different speakers present. It kept the event fluid, and I didn't feel like I was listening to a lecture.”
• VBOS and V1-on-1: Outstanding group to work with! Thank you!!The most organized event ever! Thank you! Had a great day. Learned about the small businesses with the support of DAP.
• VBOS: The DAP team did an amazing job in coordinating this event. Ensured the process went as smoothly as possible, and we appreciate the time and effort that the team spent in making this a great event.
• V1-on-1: The project management for this event was exceptional. I would like to thank the VA DAP Team for their hard work in making this happen.
• Extremely efficient program.
• VBOS: Thank you for supporting VOSBs.
• V1-on-1: Thanks as always for a great session.
• V1-on-1: The meeting was very worthwhile.
• Great event. Good conversations and useful feedback from the Verizon reps
• “…I could not be happier with the meeting and we are Thankful to the OSDBU for hosting this introduction.”
Participant Comments
• VBOS: “VA OSDBU has done an outstanding job to provide VOSBs a variety of information for procurements. Over the last two years I have seen a significant increase in networking events with different buyers in VA and industry. Keep up the great work!”
• Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings: “Thank you for doing this. Doing business with the USPS has always been a mystery to me.”
• Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings: “I found this very helpful and hope I would be able to generate new business for my organization based on the meeting.”
• Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings: “Mr. Rupert, USPS, and Mrs. Lewis were both awesome. They were professional.”
• Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings: “The virtual information session was very informative, and I will be reaching out to get more information about the Direct Access Program.”
• Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings: “The team was professional and very helpful. I would have appreciated walking away with more tangible solicitations but am aware of the process. Thank you.”
• Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings: “Thank you for the valuable information.”
• Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings: “Thanks for putting this together. I would suggest another survey in 3 months to see if the interaction had any impact.”
• Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings: “I am so happy to be able to speak to someone and find support and help.”
• HOST COMMENTS - VBOS and V1-on-1:
“The VA DAP team was excellent. They were responsive, flexible, and helpful in providing good feedback…”
“The greatest benefit Wood River Federal received, was exposure to the VA and a diverse range of companies.”
• PARTICIPANT COMMENTS:
VBOS: “Very well-planned event. Excellent support from VA. Thank you so much!”
V1-on-1: “These events help small business in great extent.”
• HOST FEEDBACK:
Fifty-five (55) firms registered for Wood River Federal’s (WRF) consideration; eleven (11) were selected. Based on the 11 firms met, Wood River Federal plans to follow-up with 10 firms (91%). The criteria for selection were the firm’s responses to Wood River Federal registration questions, capabilities and past performance.
Wood River Federal noted Goldschmidt as a stand-out firm, with regards to the company’s IT capabilities aligning with Wood River Federal partnering goals. Will Emerson of WRF met with Goldschmidt in-person, the day following the 1-on-1 meeting, to continue business development conversations.
• Host Comments: VBOS and V1-on-1 - “As always, the DAP support team did an excellent job communicating all phases of the event well in advance. LMI was prepared and informed at every step of the process. The additional help qualifying interested small businesses by customizing the application survey was much appreciated.”
• Participant Comments: VBOS – “Excellent hosting, concise information, great "next steps" provided. Thank you!”
• Participant Comments: V1-on-1 – “This program is of great value, I would never be able to coordinate and meet with the VA Vendor participants at this level, considering logistics and availability. I love the forum and the managed logistics, that keeps the time to a reasonable investment for the Prime vendor, while allowing a meaningful interaction. Please don't change a thing and keep this program going. I learned more about LMI in the time frame, than I could have with the previous 3 days of online research.” "Although I have worked for/with the Department of Veterans Affairs throughout my professional career, I had never known about the Direct Access Program. I think the program is valuable in connecting companies with similar operations and capabilities together to discuss business opportunities and partnerships. The level of customer service was excellent and overall, I believe that events like this helps to build trust. I have one recommendation for possible improvement is to extend the length of the session to 30-minutes as opposed to 20 minutes, which seemed rushed."
• Based upon the seven assessments that were received, LMI plans to follow-up with three of the seven companies (43%).
• “HCSC event planner did an excellent job hosting and moderating the demonstrations. Her professionalism was outstanding.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker
• “Jeannine Mtui and her team provided exceptional support. The way Jeannine handled the meetings were amazing. She is a great asset to the acquisition process for HCSC.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker
• “Very effective and efficient use of resources. It was a pleasure working with the DAP team.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker
• “Both the virtual session and the 1-on-1 meeting were well-organized. The GDIT team was well-prepared because of the DAP team’s planning efforts.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker
• “V1-on-1 event (including the technology) was fantastic. The GDIT team was very thoughtful with their questions, and I left very impressed.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker
• “As a small business, it is sometimes hard to get in front of decision makers at large companies. Especially during the pandemic, opportunities are few and far between. Direct facilitated interaction is very helpful.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker
• “Based upon the eight assessments that were received, GDIT plans to follow-up with seven of the eight companies (88%). Three of the eight (38%) companies were identified as being possible fits for other opportunities outside of GDIT’s support of the VA.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker
• “We have incorporated a couple of companies into our partner community. Engaged with them on several large pursuits. Very appreciative of the introductions from the OSDBU Direct Access Program.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker - May 2021
• “In five years of doing these virtual events weekly, this is the best dry run we’ve experienced. We commend the organization and structure which has been outstanding. This event has been invaluable to us. Looking forward to our partnership and next session.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker - April 2021
• “(We) would not been able to see the pool of companies, volume of interest and socio-economic categories without DAP.” - Industry Procurement Decision Maker
• “Scheduling, reminders and the entire process exceeded all expectations. Very professionally created, ran and executed. I was very impressed and would look to do this at any other given opportunity to do so.” - Small Business Participant
• “Good overview/introduction to the small businesses. The one-on-one sessions allowed further investigation of capabilities to permit assessment of potential partnering opportunities. The spreadsheets provided are a great tool for the future when we have a need for small business partners.” - Federal Procurement Decision Maker

Event Models

1. Business Opportunity Session

• This format informs industry about upcoming procurement opportunities; and facilitates feedback from industry that is related to a specific business need or procurement requirement.

2. Business Information Session

• This format provides industry with vital insights and tools to support business growth and development.

3. One-on-One Meetings

• This format provides a venue for a small business representative to meet with a PDM, to promote their capabilities in response to the established business needs.

4. Veterans Affairs Medical Center Event (VAMC)

• This format is held at VA medical facilities and provides PDMs and clinical staff opportunities to review new and innovative products and services demonstrated by VOSBs and SDVOSBs.

5. Demonstrations

• This format allows VOSBs and SDVOSBs to exhibit products and services to a PDM in support of their Federal agency’s or commercial firm’s market research efforts.

Ways We Execute

• Virtual Production
• In-Person Business Engagement Center (BEC)

Event Services

• Plan and organize virtual and in-person events
• Facilitate targeted marketing and outreach communications
• Develop event promotional materials
• Execute tailored event experiences
• Analyze and evaluate event assessments and outcomes
• Provide after-action reporting as a benchmark to gauge future event successes