Identifying and Eliminating Barriers Faced by Nontraditional Department of Defense Suppliers

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DoD) purchases an enormous amount of goods and services in more than 1,000 different industries. Although the supply base providing these goods and services is very broad, there is a large degree of concentration in it. The top ten contractors, for example, provide almost one-third of DoD goods and services, and the 40 largest account for more than half. Such concentration can make it difficult for firms outside the traditional DoD supply base to enter it, and DoD purchasing practices can compound these difficulties.