DOE officials served as members of the “In It To Win IT” panel at the Reservation Economic Summit in Tulsa this month. From left to right, EM Acting Small Business Advocate Steve Sylvester, Jack Surash with EM’s Office of Corporate Services, DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) Director John Hale III, OSDBU Deputy Director Drake Russell, Norbert Doyle with EM’s Office of Corporate Services, and EM Consolidated Business Center Small Business Program Manager Anne Marie Bird.
Jack Surash with EM’s Office of Corporate Services speaks at RES Oklahoma.
Norbert Doyle with EM’s Office of Corporate Services, front table, right side, back, and EM Acting Small Business Advocate Steve Sylvester, front table, right side, front, meet with Indian Country business officials during a business “matchmaking” session at RES Oklahoma.
Officials with the DOE offices of EM and Indian Energy Policy and Programs gather at the National RES in Las Vegas. From left to right, EM Tribal Affairs Director Albert Brandt Petrasek, Norbert Doyle with EM’s Office of Corporate Services, DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs Deputy Director David Conrad and EM Acting Small Business Advocate Steve Sylvester.
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz with NCAIED Board Member Michelle Holiday, center, and NCAIED President and CEO Gary Davis, far right, at the Secretary's National Tribal Energy Summit in Washington, D.C., in September 2015. Davis and NCAIED played an integral role in the event.
TULSA, Okla. – Expanding outreach to Indian Country companies, EM officials discussed business opportunities in the cleanup program and greater DOE at economic summits this month and in March held by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED).
“DOE’s presence at these economic summits has been enthusiastically received and firmly demonstrates EM’s sincere desire to engage Indian Country at all levels, including the business realm,” EM Tribal Affairs Director Albert Brandt Petrasek said of the events in Tulsa and Las Vegas.
A critical component of the outreach at the most recent summit, EM’s Business Opportunity Forum gave the companies the chance to participate in dialogue and learn the latest news on doing business with the legacy nuclear cleanup program. Usually held at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C., the quarterly interactive outreach event took place during the four-day Reservation Economic Summit (RES) Oklahoma.
"Our EM participation at the RES Oklahoma provided a wonderful opportunity to build upon EM's continuing outreach efforts to the Indian nations,” said Jack Surash with EM’s Office of Corporate Services. “Not only were we able to learn what capabilities Indian-owned companies may have, but it also allowed for Indian companies to spend time with us, many in a one-on-one matchmaking session, learning what we do and how they may be able to contribute to our environmental cleanup mission."
As the largest national Indian-specific business organization in the U.S., NCAIED is a non-profit that assists American Indian Tribes and their enterprises with business and economic development. The summit in Tulsa, hosted by the Cherokee Nation, served to increase economic development across Indian Country.
"We are very excited about the DOE's interest in and ongoing relationship with the National Center and our Reservation Economic Summits," NCAIED President and CEO Gary Davis said. "This is particularly true for its Environmental Management program, whose environmental cleanup responsibilities often take place in the heart of Indian Country. Tribes and tribal members are a big part of the story of the United States' nuclear legacy, and just as importantly, its future. We look forward to continued collaboration with DOE as we seek to find solutions to our most pressing energy challenges."
Several of EM’s cleanup sites are located close or adjacent to sovereign Tribal nations and impact Indian lands and resources. Consistent with the Department's American Indian and Alaska Natives Tribal Government Policy, EM maintains cooperative agreements with Tribal nations to enhance their involvement in cleanup decisions while protecting relevant Tribal rights and resources.
The summit in Tulsa offered EM multiple ways to connect with the Indian Country businesses. In addition to leading the forum, EM conducted a “matchmaking” session for the company representatives to meet one-on-one with EM officials, and helped staff a booth at the summit with DOE’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU).
EM, OSDBU, and the Department’s Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs were co-sponsors of the Tulsa summit. Officials from EM and OSDBU also participated in the “In It To Win It” interactive panel discussion on DOE’s diverse mission and how businesses can navigate DOE’s overall $24 billion procurement base.
Representatives from a range of Indian Country businesses — from those with experience working for EM to others that had never held contracts with the federal government — sought to learn about the federal procurement process and the variety of business opportunities to support EM’s work in areas such as environmental remediation, liquid waste cleanup, and deactivation and decommissioning.
As EM officials detailed potential opportunities, including subcontracting under three large prime contracts at EM’s Savannah River, Los Alamos and Paducah sites, they learned about the abilities of the Indian Country companies.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working with great folks in Indian Country,” said Norbert Doyle with EM’s Office of Corporate Services. “It’s a classic win-win situation. We have needs, and they have capabilities.”
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