Washington, D.C. /diversitybusiness.com/ The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) achieved record level highs during FY 2001 in awarding contract and subcontract dollars to small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, and women-owned small businesses.

Required by law (P.L. 101-144) to award at least 8 percent of its prime and subcontract dollars to small disadvantaged businesses (SDB), including minority educational institutions and women-owned businesses. NASA awarded 19.3 percent, or $2.2 billion, of its total prime and subcontract dollars to SDB’s, the highest figures in the agency’s history.

Moreover, NASA awarded 14.7 percent, or $1.6 billion, to minority small disadvantaged businesses in prime and subcontracts. Of that, 7.4 percent, or $837 million, was in the area of prime contracts, although the Government-wide goal for such category is 5 percent. The total dollar figure ($1.6B) to minority SDB’s is also a NASA record and is triple the dollars that were awarded to such entities in FY 1992 when the agency began its series of special initiatives for small, disadvantaged and women-owned businesses.

Small businesses in the 8(a) program were also awarded more dollars ($446 million) than at any other time in NASA’s history. That figure almost doubled the $225 million agency accomplishment in FY 92.

Women owned businesses also received more prime and subcontract dollars ($708 million) from the space agency than ever before. The figure equals 6.3 percent of NASA’s total prime and subcontract dollars.

Furthermore, NASA awarded its highest ever amount of prime contract dollars to small businesses overall ($1.6 billion or 14.6 percent) and also awarded more total prime and subcontract dollars ($3.6 billion or 32.2 percent) to small businesses than ever before.

Finally, in FY 01, the amount of prime contract dollars that SDB’s won competitively, outside of the 8(a) program ($391 million), almost eight (8) times their achievement in that category in FY 92 ($50 million).

NASA attributes its success to its mission-oriented approach in both developing and implementing innovative initiatives that consistently attract top quality and cost conscious small, minority, and women owned businesses to the Agency.