• 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
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 […]




Archived Press Releases
NCES Announces The Education Statistics Support Institute Network Awardees

January 11, 2012

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) recently awarded the Education Statistics Support Institute Network (ESSIN) task order contracts and indefinite delivery indefinite quantity umbrella contracts for statistical support. Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) is among the awardees tasked to provide statistical analysis, project management and coordination services to the support program, as well as research initiatives of the Assessment […]


The Evaluation of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Regional Cluster Initiative — Year One Report

January 1, 2012

In September 2010, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched the Regional Cluster Initiative, a pilot program to promote and support ten clusters — geographically concentrated groups of interconnected businesses, suppliers, academic institutions, service providers, and associated organizations — across a wide variety of industries and regions throughout the United States. The SBA’s Cluster Initiative provides funding to the organizing […]


Dr. Muhiuddin Haider and Ms. Hoda Sana to present on “Neonatal Health Issues in South Asia”

December 6, 2011

University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, Associate Professor in Global Health, Dr. Muhiuddin Haider and doctoral student Ms. Hoda Sana will discuss South Asian neonatal healthcare and neonatal healthcare improvement on Friday, December 9, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. at Optimal Solutions Group’s, LLC (Optimal’s) office in M Square Research Park in College Park, Maryland. Dr. Haider and Ms. Sana’s discussion […]


Optimal Awarded International Development Evaluation

November 15, 2011

 In October 2011, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) received a three-year contract with USAID for international economic development evaluation work.  With Optimal’s strong domestic program evaluation expertise, its approach to real-time monitoring and evaluation, experienced consultants and partners and its diverse and international staff, Optimal is pleased  to have been chosen to support USAID efforts. The need for rigor coupled with timeliness is clear […]


Dr. Herrmann to present “Model-Based Systems Engineering for Healthcare Organizations” at Optimal’s Brown Bag Seminar

November 9, 2011

University of Maryland Associate Professor Dr. Jeffrey W. Herrmann will share new innovative models to improve operations of healthcare organizations on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 11:45 a.m. This brown bag seminar will be held at Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) headquarters located in M Square Research Park in College Park, Maryland.


Measuring School Superintendent Efficiency

August 11, 2011

A recent publication titled “The Productivity of Elected and Appointed Officials: The Case of School Superintendents” aims at measuring elected and appointed school superintendents through a solid and critical quality measures systems established through rigorous research; the academic performance of children in school.


MIPS Project Challenge: “Using Artificial Intelligence to Reduce Monitoring and Knowledge Diffusion Costs for Medicaid Advantage Plans: a Feasibility Study”

July 15, 2011

n 2011, The Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program awarded Optimal Solutions Group, LLC, a $70,000 grant for the development of a virtual collaborative system in health care. The funding was in partnership with the University of Maryland Computer Science Department and Purdue University.


Demonstration of Dashboard Tools at 2011 National Forum on Education Statistics

June 28, 2011

The National Forum on Education Statistics will hold its annual conference July 25-27 in Washington, DC. The conference focuses on “improving education data through best-practice guides on crime, violence, and discipline incident data, data use, education privacy, and Section 508 Accessibility.” Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) has been accepted for vendor demonstration.


Optimal Holds 5th Annual “Why be an Economist Day?”

June 28, 2011

On June 15, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) held its fifth annual “Why Be an Economist Day?” for students ranging from college sophomores to graduate students from across the country. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, and the aspiring economists were part of the Summer Institute program sponsored by Howard University. They had the opportunity to benefit from […]


Dr. Mark Turner Joins UMD Health IT and Economics Board

June 28, 2011

Dr. Mark Turner, President & CEO of Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) has accepted an invitation to join the industry advisory board for the 2nd Annual Workshop on Health IT and Economics (WHITE) held in Washington, DC on October 8th and 9th. He will take part in a panel discussing policy and practice of the currentIT Health Industry. Dr. Turner […]


Optimal Conducts Social Media Analysis Demonstration in Topic Detection

June 20, 2011

Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) has developed a social media analysis tool kit as part of its framework to enable real-time public policy decision-making. The tool kit and associated approaches are based on the extensive review and testing of commercially available social media applications conducted over the past year, and also includes multidisciplinary collaborations with universities and experts in social media […]


Optimal Research Analyst discusses Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems in Education

June 20, 2011

Sarah Newman, a Research Analyst with Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal), presented a Brown Bag titled, “Statewide Longitudinal Data SystemsEnabling: data-based decision making in Florida, North Carolina, and Washington,” on Tuesday, June 14. The discussion focused on the current state of Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS), which collect and store education data that enables states to track students from preschool […]


Mark and Tracye Turner Present UMD School of Public Health Scholarship at Dean’s Scholars Dinner

May 26, 2011

The University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Health (SPH) awarded the Mark and Tracye Turner Scholarship to Family Science (FMSC) student Dara Winley with at the 6th Annual Dean’s Scholars Dinner on April 7, 2011. Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) CEO Mark Turner and COO Tracye Turner attended the award ceremony to present their scholarship to Ms. Winley, who […]


Program Monitoring and Evaluation: Tools for Measuring the Performance of Federal Policy Agencies

May 16, 2011

Donald Malcolm Smith, a doctoral candidate in the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore, presented his dissertation, “Program Monitoring and Evaluation: Tools for Measuring the Performance of Federal Policy Agencies” at an Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) Brown Bag on Wednesday, May 4.


Optimal Wins Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Small Business Research and Demonstration Award

May 13, 2011

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (www.cms.gov) has awarded 10 Indefinite-Quantity Indefinite-Delivery contracts to 10 small businesses to conduct general research, analysis, demonstration, and survey activities relating to Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) issues related to uninsured populations, and other aspects of CMS program responsibilities.


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