Trujillo takes over Lab's Small Business Program Office

Gonzales assigned to Lab's new Procurement Excellence Plan

Teresa Trujillo recently returned to Los Alamos' Small Business Program Office (BUS-SBO), a place she called home for 11 years.

Trujillo, who will be acting SBO program manager, headed the office from 1983 to 1994. She most recently has been in the Business Operations (BUS) Division Office.

Trujillo replaces Bennie Gonzales, who will play a major role in the Lab's Procurement Excellence Plan that was recently commissioned by Rich Marquez, the Lab's associate director for administration.

Dennis Roybal, BUS deputy division leader, said the Procurement Excellence Plan is a strategic plan for procurement in BUS Division. He said the plan will address procurement staffing, retention and training, noting that 47 percent of the Laboratory's most senior and experienced procurement personnel are eligible to retire in the next three to five years.

"The robustness of the Laboratory's operating budget in recent years has resulted in a higher number of complex and more sophisticated subcontracting requirements.

"On the other hand, the growth in human resources, skills and capabilities within the Laboratory's Procurement (BUS-5) operation has not kept pace with the growth in procurement volume and dollars, which totals nearly $1 billion annually," said Roybal.

The plan also will look at acquisition planning, the new Enterprise Resource Project, internal controls, performance metrics, and Small Business Program Office excellence all in support of the Laboratory's mission requirements.

Gonzales has been the SBO program manager since 2000.

Los Alamos' Small Business Program Office has in place a number of programs that support small business and economic development in the region. One such program is the Northern New Mexico Preference Program, part of Los Alamos' Regional Purchasing Program designed to strengthen regional business enterprises, stimulate greater regional employment and infrastructure, increase the business tax base in Northern New Mexico and reduce regional dependence on the federal government.

The Small Business Program Office recently received a Dwight D. Eisenhower Award in the research and development category from the federal Small Business Administration. And the Department of Energy gave the Small Business Program Office a Special Emphasis Award in the area of small business achievement for 2001.

For more information about the Small Business Program Office, go to http://sbo.lanl.gov, call 7-4410 or write to sbo@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

-- Steve Sandoval

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