Serving the U.S. Army’s Supply Needs

Meeting the U.S. Army’s supply needs has always been vital to our national defense. However, the procurement rules and process associated with selling parts, material, equipment and services to the military is often seen as an obstacle by potential vendors. The U.S. Army recognized the need to identify and recruit more qualified suppliers to meet important supply needs in a timely fashion. Through the SMDI Program, the U.S Army has a quick response supply process that provides a bridge between a committed DoD buyer to Pennsylvania manufacturers.

Background of the Small Manufacturers Defense Initiative (SMDI)
In March of 2007, the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Centers (IRCs) initiated the SMDI Program with the U.S. Army. Catalyst Connection, the IRC serving southwestern Pennsylvania, is the SMDI project manager, and coordinates the collaborative efforts of the SMDI Team. The primary goal of the SMDI Program is to increase the number of qualified suppliers to the U.S. Army.



Role of the IRCs
The seven IRCs are private, non-profit organizations dedicated to strengthening Pennsylvania’s capability for manufacturing growth. For 20 years, each IRC has served a specific region by offering specialized services that help manufacturing firms improve their competitiveness and their bottom line. Each IRC is the recipient of funding from the U.S Department of Commerce (NIST/MEP) and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

The fundamental role of the IRCs within the SMDI Program is to utilize their knowledge and working relationships with Pennsylvania small-to-medium sized manufacturers to identify and recruit qualified suppliers to meet the U.S. Army’s prototyping needs.

The SMDI Team has researched Department of Defense (DoD) supplier qualification programs offered by governmental, private and non-profit organizations, and benchmarked the “best practices” that expedite supply processes. With an analysis of the U.S. Army’s supply needs, this knowledge was used to develop a Supplier Capability Assessment (SCA) process to identify qualified prototyping suppliers.

In consultation with the U.S. Army, the SMDI Supply Process was launched to provide a dynamic, secured internet-based venue that facilitates an efficient procurement process: from the posting of request for quotes by the U.S. Army, to automated alerts to qualified suppliers and confidential quotes by suppliers for confidential review by the U.S. Army’s buyers.

Supplier Application Form


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