ETEBA Forum: Driving Supplier Opportunities and Empowering Leadership throughout the Region

Staff Report

Friday, June 28th, 2019

The Energy Technology and Environmental Business Association recently held its third annual Savannah River Federal Business Opportunities Forum at the Augusta Marriott Convention Center in Augusta, Ga.

“The Forum is an excellent way for businesses to interface directly with Savannah River Site (SRS)
prime contractors,” said SRS-Centerra Procurement Administrator Liz Harris. “Centerra-SRS has
participated in the event since its inception three years ago and plans to continue to support such a
worthwhile event.”

The event informs subcontractors and vendors of upcoming federal procurement and subcontracting
opportunities in the region, including the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

“Through this forum, ETEBA has provided a platform that brings technical and supply chain leaders and
suppliers together,” said Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Supply Chain Operations Director Jay
Johnson. “It communicates SRS’s future needs to our suppliers who deliver innovations that enable our
enduring and future missions. This gives our current and future suppliers the opportunity to align their corporate strategy and core skillsets with the site’s needs. This level of partnering which offers open and transparent dialogue about longterm vision is vital.”

ETEBA’s one-day forum featured panel discussions on a variety of topics including an SRS update; subcontracting and procurement opportunities with DOE, NNSA and USACE; and partnering opportunities with the Savannah River National Laboratory. Panelists included speakers from DOE Headquarters; DOE Savannah River Operations Office; managing and operating contractor at SRS, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions; liquid waste contractor at SRS, Savannah River Remediation (SRR); protective force contractor at SRS, SRS-Centerra; the Savannah River National Laboratory; and USACE Savannah and Charleston Districts.

A focus topic of the event was the importance of small businesses in the region. SRR Project Services
& Support Director Sandra Fairchild stated, “Savannah River Remediation is committed to the success
of our small-business subcontractors. SRR provides significant awards to ETEBA members to complete
important and mission-critical work. We appreciate small businesses providing big results, and most
importantly safe results, for our company.”

Following the technical sessions throughout the day, ETEBA held a networking reception and reverse
tradeshow that gave local suppliers the opportunity to meet one-on-one with buyers as well as technical
experts from government agencies and SRS prime contractors.

“This year’s Savannah River Federal Business Opportunities Forum was a great success, due in great part to the proactive support of DOE-SR and prime contractors at the Savannah River Site,” ETEBA
Executive Director Tim Griffin said. “The caliber of speakers and presentations was exceptional. And, a favorite aspect of the forum continues to be the reverse tradeshow. We hope to continue to grow this
event and help provide valuable insight and opportunities to local businesses. In fact, we are using the
Savannah River event as a best practice and a model for other ETEBA events in the future including
our national meeting in Knoxville, Tenn.”

ETEBA is a non-profit trade association representing approximately 160 small, large and mid-sized companies and affiliate members that provide engineering, environmental, construction and other
technical and administrative services to government and commercial clients. Its mission is to promote the success of their members by fostering market understanding, identifying business opportunities and advocating for common interests.