In last month’s blog we discussed how universities need to “put their money where their mouth is.” However, this statement also applies to government agencies that continue to say that they want more Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to be involved in government contracts.
In speaking to universities, I have learned that industry, as well as individual dollars given to HBCUs, are significantly more than the government agencies. Let me caveat this statement by noting there are agencies that do provide a significant amount of funding to these universities, such as the Department of Labor and the Department of Education.
The other agencies, or should I say agency since I am referring to NASA. NASA has a $19 billion budget, and it has a goal that one percent ($190 million) must go to Minority Serving Institutions. Nevertheless, I continue to say NASA has never reached this goal. Moreover, the solicitations that are focused on HBCUs are not even close to $190 million. In fact, most awards are under $1 million.
Recently, UnitedHealth Group, a company that provides health care insurance and technology-enabled health services, invested $8.25 million dollars to Atlanta’s HBCUs. The gift is expected to boost data science education at four HBCUs: Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Morehouse School of Medicine.
A few weeks earlier, in an astonishing commencement speech, HBCU graduate and billionaire Robert Smith pledged to wipe out student loan debt for the entire 2019 graduating class at Morehouse College. This debt is said to be estimated at $40 million. Now, to my knowledge, NASA has not funded any HBCU at $8.25 million and surely not $40 million.
It is time for NASA to step up its game. It is one thing to put a goal out there, but it is another thing to execute that goal. This goal has never been met because, I believe, NASA requirements are so stringent and not flexible enough to meet the needs of academic institutions, which are grant-focused, research-based, and risk adverse.
If NASA’s leadership truly wants to meet that goal, they will provide more single-source funding to these institutions, as well as increase the requirement to do business with these universities in all prime contracts that are over the simplified acquisition threshold.
To step up your game means to improve and get better at what you do. You would think that for an agency the size of NASA it would surely improve upon a goal that it has not met. I believe the following steps should take place, and perhaps NASA will get one step closer in improving its odds of meeting this goal.
Define more requirements that these universities can actually produce that will bring in a significant amount of revenue, which would make it worth the universities’ time and effort.
Market these requirements to the universities
Set up one-on-one meetings about these requirements and provide insight into how to respond.
Advertise the solicitation in all the portals these universities use (not just Fed Biz Ops)
Initiate an award to one or more universities
Repeat this process every quarter
I believe if NASA implements the above process, the agency will be well on its way toward not just meeting the goal but possibly exceeding it.
Latonia Jones is the chief executive officer of Phenomenal Management Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in creating and implementing business development strategies for academic institutions that conduct research and development for federal government agencies.
