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In support of Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is hosting a Large Prime – Small Business and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) Vendor Outreach Matchmaking Event (VOME). The inaugural virtual event will be held on April 30, 2024, with meetings occurring between 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

In Fiscal Year 2022, the National Defense Authorization Act was amended codifying the DHS Mentor Protégé Program (MPP) at 6 U.S.C. § 475a. The most significant change was the addition of HBCUs/MIs as protégés. Since DHS expects to start accepting MPP applications in May 2024, including HBCUs/MIs to this VOME is an opportunity to support the revised DHS MPP by introducing these educational institutions to DHS OSDBU outreach efforts and the MPP. This VOME will help forge and maintain prime - subcontractor relationships, teaming opportunities, joint ventures, and possible MPP partnerships. It also is being held to support the Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week.

Each virtual meeting will be 15-minutes and established by the matching of core competencies, needs, and lines of businesses as identified by each firm and HBCUs/MIs North American Industry Classification System Code. Large business prime contractors will choose to meet with the small businesses and HBCUs/MIs that align with their needs and current requirements. Consequently, there may be small businesses and HBCUs/MIs that register but may not receive a meeting.

What This Event Is:

• Virtual one-on-one 15-minute meeting(s) between large and small businesses and HBCUS/MIs.

• An opportunity to present capabilities and to have potential discussions outside of the VOME.

• An opportunity for new entrants to establish a relationship with large businesses currently doing business with DHS or other federal agencies and/or actively seeking opportunities.
  
  

What This Event Is NOT:

• A virtual Vendor Outreach Session. There are no meetings with DHS Small Business Specialists.

• A procurement specific VOME or an Industry Day for any DHS procurement.

• A webinar event or training.
  
  

All businesses and HBCUs/MIs are required to register at https://vomeapril2024.mbmapp.com and provide the required information including a capability statement and a valid point of contact email address in their profile compatible with various virtual meeting tools (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, etc.). Once your firm receives confirmation of a meeting from the scheduling site, you will receive a follow-up email with the virtual meeting invitation. If you do not see a meeting invitation, check your spam or junk mail folders. A platform tutorial is also being provided in this notice outlining the registration and meeting process. Please be advised that if connectivity issues occur using the virtual tools, the session may be conducted telephonically or rescheduled.

**Please Note: All HBCUs and MIs will be considered as small businesses for this event.

Large businesses that would like to participate should contact Mr. Kyle Groome at Kyle.Groome@hq.dhs.gov and Ms. Jenista Tobias at Jenista.Tobias@hq.dhs.gov.

Registration is now open until 11:59 PM ET, Monday, April 29, 2024. Small businesses and HBCUs/MIs should forward all questions about this virtual VOME to OSDBU.VOS@hq.dhs.gov.

Again, the direct registration link is https://vomeapril2024.mbmapp.com.

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