Want to Access the Billions of Dollars within the Department of Energy? Here’s How!

Format: Live webinar (on-demand recording available on September 30, 2021)
Date: September 21, 2021
Time: 1:00 pm EDT
Duration: Approx. 90 minutes
Instructors: Lani MacRae (Department of Energy) and Rexann Dunn (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
Learning Credits: 1.5 CPEs, 0.75 ATCs
APTAC BOK: C.17 Socio-Economic Programs

*Your registration includes access to the on-demand recording.

This joint presentation by Lani MacRae, the Department of Energy (DOE), and Rexann Dunn, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), will share the breadth and scope of the DOE and highlight one of the most interesting labs of the Department. The DOE’s National Laboratories are called America’s Treasures. They also hold great promise for small businesses – billions of dollars worth! In this presentation, you will learn where the opportunities are and how to access the different parts of the Department for best results when searching for opportunities.  

DOE boasts one of the larger appropriations of all the Cabinet Agencies and spends approximately 80% of its funds through the National Laboratories. The Labs work to achieve the research mission of the field sites they manage and operate, have independent buying authority, and use best commercial practices to subcontract for goods and services. Moreover, DOE HQ flows down small business buying preferences to help the Labs meet their small business subcontracting plan goals. Due to the unique nature of the DOE National Lab contracting procurement environment, billions of dollars of first-tier subcontracting get awarded to small businesses annually.

After attending this webinar, you will

• understand the relationship of the laboratory system to the Department;
• know what to do BEFORE contacting the National Labs;
• learn how to unlock the language, type of work conducted, and where the forecasts live, and 
• most importantly, know where to look for opportunities.

Target Audience: small business contractors

LANI MACRAE, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Lani MacRae is the Small Business Program Manager for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Loving the customer service aspect of small business work comes naturally to Lani, who spent nearly two decades in Washington DC leading ENERGY STAR communication and marketing work for the U.S. Department of Energy and managing the $300 million ARRA Appliance Rebate Program across 56 states and territories.  Having focused much of her career in public education, Lani has extensive experience in consumer outreach, education, and the promotion of energy efficiency programs. In addition, she has served on the immediate staff of two Energy Secretaries.

REXANN DUNN, National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

In her position as the manager of small business partnerships at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Rexann Dunn oversees many of the lab’s outreach activities with the small business community, both locally and across the nation. In this capacity, she attends trade fairs, conferences, and other events to educate and assist small and minority-owned business owners and managers and facilitate their efforts to explore business opportunities with NREL. To further her efforts in building a dynamic workforce that supports minority-owned and small business entities, Rexann also works closely with the Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization, the Small Business Administration, and other laboratories and government agencies. 

In addition to her work with the small business community, Rexann manages NREL’s Mentor-Protégé program, where she works with small businesses to enhance their performance capabilities so they could successfully subcontract with NREL, the Department of Energy (DOE), and other federal agencies. In 2015, the DOE named Rexann its Facility Management Contractor Small Business Program Manager of the year.