DOE - Crosscutting Evaluation Studies - MRAS

The General Services Administration (GSA), on behalf of the Department of Energy (DOE), is conducting market research to evaluate the impact of DOE's research and development (R&D) investments in small businesses and startups. This initiative is spearheaded by the Integrated Strategies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The overarching goal is to assess how these investments have contributed to economic growth, job creation, and technological innovation in the energy sector.

The work requested involves a comprehensive impact evaluation of EERE's funding initiatives, which include financial assistance awards, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and investments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The evaluation will focus on projects initiated between 2006 and 2022 and completed between 2008 and 2024. The study aims to determine how these funds have facilitated commercialization of intellectual property, follow-on investments, profitability, sustainability, and overall growth of the small firms that received initial funding.

The contractor will be responsible for providing all necessary resources including personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, except for those items specified as government-furnished property. The evaluation will employ rigorous statistical methods to control for external factors that might influence outcomes beyond DOE's investments. Through this analysis, DOE seeks to better understand its role in fostering innovation among small businesses that are pivotal in advancing new high-risk/high-reward technologies.

Small businesses are a critical component of the U.S. economy; they make up 99.9% of all U.S. businesses according to the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) statistics. They account for a significant portion of new jobs created over recent decades and contribute substantially to economic activity nationwide. By supporting these enterprises through targeted R&D funding programs like those administered by EERE, DOE aims not only to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies but also to bolster economic resilience through sustained business growth.