• microplan

    A microloan program designed to assist women, low income, veteran, and minority entrepreneurs, and other small businesses will be evaluated for its impact in growth outcomes

    The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Microloan Program makes direct loans to qualified nonprofit, quasi-governmental and tribal mediators that, in turn, lend working capital for job creation, equipment, and material purchases. This program is essential for small businesses who do not qualify for traditional business loans and who have historically been underrepresented in the business community across a number of industries. […]

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  • SBA Logo

    Optimal evaluated four Small Business Administration programs using logic models to determine outcomes

    A logic model provides a visual likeness of the key program pathways linking program components to short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes. The purpose of a logic model is to define a program’s theory of change by showing how the program’s underlying assumptions, strategies, resources, activities, and contextual factors are expected to lead to the desired outcomes. Optimal prepared logic models […]

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  • Optimal develops AI-tool to assist government agencies identify qualified under-represented firms

    Government agencies often use incomplete and non-systematic approaches to identify qualified contractors and capable, socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses for government requests. While information about firms is available, it is stored across disparate systems that are not linked together. In order for staff to more efficiently identify small disadvantaged businesses, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal), developed a series of […]

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  • Optimal assessed the impact of small business development program

    The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program grants participants access to set-aside or sole source contracts, a business opportunity specialist, the right to enter a mentor-protégé program, and other benefits. The goal of the Evaluation of 8(a) Certified Firms is to better understand the market for goods and services demanded by federal agencies and those supplied by 8(a) businesses. The […]

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  • Optimal assessed the impact of SBA’s Emerging Leaders Training and Mentoring Initiative

    This study helped SBA in improving the program enactment of Emerging Leaders (e200) Training and Mentoring Initiative by identifying strategies to improve program participation and stakeholder engagement. It also identified the factors affecting the business revenue and business survival rates of the businesses poised for growth in historically challenged communities. Optimal assisted in developing the overall evaluation frameworks for SBA’s […]

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  • SBA Logo

    Optimal assessed the performance of the SBA small business regional clusters

    The SBA’s Regional Innovation Cluster (RIC) Initiative, launched in September 2010, promotes and supports U.S. regional clusters—geographically concentrated groups of connected businesses, suppliers, service providers, and similar institutions in an industry or field. Clusters act as a networking hub to convene resources for small businesses. This then helps small businesses in navigating funding, procurement, and supply-chain opportunities in their specific […]

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  • round table

    Optimal analyzed small business program designed to provide business development assistance

    Established in 2016, the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program (ASMPP) extends the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) approved mentor-protégé relationships to every small business. The program’s goal is to develop strong protégé firms through mentor-provided business development assistance. Optimal assessed why firms leave the ASMPP either during the application process before they are approved for the program or during the program participation […]

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  • 29439 DEV Color

    Optimal Solutions Group Appraised at CMMI Level 3 – Development

    Optimal Solutions Group, LLC today announced that it has been appraised at level 3 for Development (DEV) of the CMMI Institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)®. The appraisal was performed by Abridge Technology. CMMI is a capability improvement framework that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes that ultimately improve their performance.

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  • Using Mobile Applications in Opioid Treatment: Opportunities and Challenges

    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Optimal a contract to assess the implementation and effectiveness of mobile application technology to provide recovery support services to patients undergoing treatment for opioid dependence in an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP).

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Recent Press Releases


Archived Press Releases
Optimal Approved to Join GSA’s Program Evaluation Services Subgroup

November 6, 2023

Optimal is proud to announce its approval to join the General Services Administration’s (GSA) exclusive program evaluation subgroup. This achievement shows Optimal’s expertise in evaluating complex multisite programs, government demonstrations, pilots, and initiatives. GSA’s Program Evaluation Subgroup allows Federal agencies to give solicitations to contractors with expertise in program evaluation. It provides contractors access to large Federal investments in program […]


Optimal’s CEO, Mark Turner, Joins the National Data Science Alliance Education and Workforce Committee to Advance Data Science at HBCUs

November 1, 2023

Optimal’s President and CEO, Dr. Mark Turner, has joined the National Data Science Alliance (NDSA) Education and Workforce Committee. The committee aims to advance the field of data science across Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It is recognized for its commitment to fostering equitable opportunities in the data science arena. The NDSA is a national consortium of individuals and […]


Optimal Launches Generative AI Webinar Series

July 17, 2023

Optimal has developed a Generative AI webinar series that discusses the beneficial use cases for businesses and government agencies to leverage the growing presence of AI tools. Through this initiative, Optimal continues demonstrating its commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to support its clients and work within the Optimal Real-Time Framework. The Generative AI webinar series developed by Optimal delves into […]


Optimal’s Corporate AI Initiative Produces Results

June 14, 2023

Optimal’s corporate initiative on Generative AI proved to be successful. Departments and project teams started working groups, with suggested use cases and a fast-paced shared “wiki” to investigate how Generative AI can move the company forward, support existing clients and work within Optimal’s Real-Time Framework. With existing products such as Revelo Software, Generative AI can receive curated data, content and […]


ChatGPT: Optimal analytics, software development, data science and project teams test ChatGPT

March 30, 2023

Optimal’s teams have made significant strides in leveraging the latest ChatGPT and BARD AI tools, which are already enhancing our Real-Time Framework for evidenced-based decision making. Through this cutting-edge technology, we have been able to generate software test scripts, social media content, resolve software development queries, and enhance web data scraping in a relatively short period of time. While we […]


Optimal Solutions Group Awarded Department of Education PRESTO Contract

February 17, 2023

Optimal Solutions Group (Optimal), a leading research and consulting firm, has been awarded the U.S. Department of Education (ED) PRESTO contract. Optimal is excited about this potentially 10-year IDIQ contract, which will enable them to continue to support the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Institute of Education Sciences, and other parts of ED in meeting the research, technical […]


Optimal Solutions Group Selected by Maryland State Department of Education to Assess Online Course Materials for Accessibility Standards

March 4, 2022

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has awarded Optimal Solutions Group several contracts to assess online course materials for high school students for compliance with Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards. Optimal’s DHS Trusted Testers will provide technical assistance to content developers and assist them in remediating course materials. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased reliance on […]


Optimal Awarded Government-wide Acquisition Contract – OASIS

September 22, 2021

Optimal was awarded the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) – Small Business (SB) Pool 1. OASIS is a General Services Administration (GSA) government-wide best-in-class procurement vehicle that provides flexible and innovative solutions for complex professional services. It encompasses a broad set of offerings covering everything from program management services, management consulting services and financial services to logistics services, engineering […]


Study Finds 8(a) Program Benefits Businesses By Obtaining Prime Federal Contracts

August 25, 2021

The federal government established the 8(a) program to improve the capacity of small businesses owned by the socially and economically disadvantaged members of society by creating a level playing field for providing goods and services to the federal government and increasing the supply base of qualified businesses owned by such members of society. The Small Business Administration partnered with Optimal […]


Study Finds Underrepresentation of Women-Owned Small Businesses Depends on How Disparity Ratios Are Measured

August 25, 2021

Women face a wider variety and a greater severity of challenges in starting and growing their business ventures than men. Difficulties obtaining government contracts represents one of the largest hurdles faced by women-owned firms. Congress approved the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program to provide greater opportunities for small businesses to win federal contracts. The Small Business Administration partnered […]


Optimal Will Provide Data Tool to Better Understand Changes in the U.S. Manufacturing Sector

August 18, 2021

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) offers tools, solutions, and resources to address manufacturer’s diverse challenges and opportunities. Optimal Solutions Group LLC (Optimal) will provide access to a manufacturing data analysis and modeling tool or service . This tool/service will put dynamic and relevant manufacturing data in the hands of the MEP Centers, which helps […]


SBA Scorecard Has Strong Positive Relationship With Indicators of Small Business Prime Contracting Opportunities

August 18, 2021

Each year, the Small Business Administration (SBA) produces its Small Business Procurement Scorecard, which aims to assess the performance of federal agencies towards achieving their small business contracting goals, provide valid and reliable data on federal contracting with an emphasis on transparency, as well as analyze and report agency level and government-wide progress towards the goals. For fiscal year 2017, […]


Preferential Contract Awards Add Value and Jobs to Underutilized Areas

August 17, 2021

The Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program, part of the Small Business Administration (SBA), helps small businesses in low-income metropolitan or rural areas with high poverty and unemployment rates gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. Businesses obtain HUBZone certification in part by employing staff who live in a HUBZone and maintaining a “principal office” in one of these specially […]


A New Study Analyzes a Switch to Online Delivery of Boots to Business Course

August 15, 2021

The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Boots to Business (B2B) program is offered free of charge and helps transition service members from military to civilian life through entrepreneurship education and training. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an in-person course rapidly transitioned to an instructor-led virtual course. A new study by Optimal Solutions Group LLC (Optimal) examines the implementation of the virtual delivery […]


Study Analyzes Effectiveness of Surveillance Reviews in Government Agencies

August 15, 2021

The Small Business Administration (SBA) monitors whether government agencies are providing opportunities for small business participation in federal contracting by performing Surveillance Reviews, which assess whether selected Procurement Centers (PCs) at federal agencies execute their small business programs effectively and according to federal regulations. The SBA completes about 30 Surveillance Reviews annually at major PCs across the country. These are […]


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