Small Business Set-Aside: Yes
Estimated Value: TBD
NAICS Code: TBD
Expected Issue Date: TBD
Expected Award Date: FY26
Contact Name: Leah Swaggerty
Contact Email: swaggertylb@ornl.gov
Please reach out to the Procurement Officer whose email address is shown above. Inform them of your interest in being placed on the bid list for this requirement. You may also send your capability statement, preferably one page.
ORNL is seeking a small business services company for its Department of Energy Mentor-Protégé Program.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Mentor-Protégé Program is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiative designed to encourage and assist small businesses to enhance their capabilities to perform contracts and subcontracts for ORNL.
This program is developmental in nature and is intended for small businesses to develop/improve their capabilities. It is primarily for service-oriented small businesses, not businesses that provide goods or commodities. This program is not intended to be a quick path for obtaining subcontracts. While participating in the program, companies should take the advice of the mentor(s) to improve their processes, policies, procedures, etc., to better position themselves to be a successful subcontractor after graduating from the program. Small businesses with the primary purpose of obtaining non-competitive subcontracts while in the program are discouraged from participation.
For more details, visit https://smallbusiness.ornl.gov/mentor-protege-program
To be eligible for the program, a business must be in one of the following size categories:
- Small
- SBA certified 8(a) and other Small Disadvantaged Businesses
- Certified Women-Owned Small Businesses
- HUBZone Small Business
- Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
- Minority Educational Institutions (herein included in the term Small Businesses)
To meet the program selection criteria, the interested small business protégé must:
- Certify as a small business for the NAICS code for services provided to ORNL
- Have been in business for at least two years
- Have two internal ORNL champions willing to work with the selected protégé for the duration of the mentor-protégé agreement. (Official letters must be submitted to the Small Business Programs Office stating the intent to participate as an internal champion to the protégé)
- Have at least one existing subcontract with ORNL
- Be approved by the Small Business Program Manager
- Be approved by the Chief Financial Officer.
- Be approved by the Department of Energy Office of Small Business Programs
Small businesses interested in being considered must submit a letter of interest and one-page capabilities statement to swaggertylb@ornl.gov by March 15, 2026.
If selected for consideration, companies will be asked to submit a more detailed capabilities package.
Upon acceptance, the protégé is required to:
- Commit to a minimum of two years to the program; Three years for Minority Educational Institutions
- Commit to participation in the protégé Development Program
- Conduct a self-assessment to identify internal strengths and weaknesses
- Submit a semi-annual progress report to the Small Business Programs Office
NOTE: Small Businesses that have completed another DOE installation’s mentor-protégé program are ineligible to participate in the ORNL Mentor-Protégé Program.
There is NO FEE to register or maintain your registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). If you receive an email from a company claiming to represent SAM.gov, be cautious. If you get an email from a company offering to help you register in SAM.gov asking you to contact them and pay them money, be cautious. These messages are not from the Federal Government.