Patriotism Meets Procurement: How Set-Aside Fuels the American Dream
It doesn’t start with fireworks or a flag.
It starts with a form.
A long one.
Somewhere between registering for SAM.gov and trying to figure out what a capability narrative is, a small business owner is chasing a dream they rarely see celebrated on TV, but it’s every bit as American.
And that dream?
Being seen. Being hired. And being allowed to compete.
For years, federal contracts, worth billions, quietly moved through the same network, to the same firms, and with the same names. And while the “free market” roared in on theory, many small and disadvantaged businesses barely got a look. The truth is, the American Dream doesn’t work if the playing field isn’t even. You can’t compete in a race you were never invited to.
So Congress did something bold but practical: they created set-asides.
In those small legislative lines, procurement met patriotism. Contracts were reserved for minority-owned businesses. Opportunities prioritized women-owned enterprises. Funds were set aside for veterans, HUBZone businesses, and tribal entrepreneurs. Not because these businesses couldn’t compete, but because, historically, they weren’t even allowed to.
And no, it’s not a handout. It’s a reset. Set-asides don’t lower the bar, they remove the barriers. They open the door a little wider and say, “You deserve to be here, too.” And for many, that’s all it takes. One certification. One contract. One buyer willing to look beyond the usual Rolodex.
When the government awards a contract to a certified small business, it does more than tick a compliance box.
It hires someone’s family-run trucking company in New Mexico. It sustains an Indigenous-owned supplier in Montana.
It fuels a woman-owned consultancy in Florida that’s finally being paid what it’s worth.
This isn’t just economics. It’s nation-building.
Of course, set-asides aren’t perfect. There are still barriers. Still bureaucracy. Still a learning curve. But every time a small business gets certified, shows up in DSBS, and lands that first contract, it chips away at the old way of doing things.
And that’s patriotism, too. Quiet, steady, powerful.
So no, it’s not just procurement. It’s possibility.
And that’s the most American thing there is.
