HEALTH
This Trailblazer has had two Mount Everest moments in his career. The first was when he assisted in the charge to establish the Buy Indian Act‘s final rule within the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The second was in March, when the Indian Health Services (IHS) enacted their final rule for the Buy Indian Act. These rules will eventually bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Native American communities, increasing both the Native-owned and HUBZone-owned industrial base.
Mount Everest or Bust – Buy Indian Act After chatting with Mr. Almaraz, I came to believe that climbing Mount Everest might have been a much easier feat. His Mount Everest moment was the Buy Indian Act. This law passed in 1910 but remained buried for over a century. As a young man, this Trailblazer had heard stories about the Buy Indian Act and how it would allow BIA and IHS to award federal contracts to Indian-owned businesses without using the standard competitive process. When he arrived at BIA in 2009, he made a conscious decision to start climbing that mountain. Four years later, on July 18, 2013, BIA reached the top of this mountain with the support of local, tribal, and national leaders. Finally, the Buy Indian Act had become more than a promise deferred. On June 7, 2013, the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Kevin K. Washburn, announced that the Department of the Interior had a final rule for Indian Affairs to implement the Buy Indian Act of 1910 (25 U.S.C. 47, as amended). Mr. Washburn said, “The publication of this final rule to implement the Buy Indian Act is a major accomplishment for the Administration
Mr. Almaraz soon set his sights on doing the same for IHS, as they had an even larger budget – more than $1.5B. He said, “I had a great support system, including staff and colleagues for the Buy Indian Act final rule. I also had tremendous support from my leadership; they were right there moving it forward. It was a challenge, but in the end, over 6 years later, the final rule was published and made effective on March 14, 2022. I have learned to keep climbing and not to count myself out. When the odds are against me, I remember where my strength and my support stem from. So, I make it a point to always acknowledge and recognize the staff, the Tribes, the people, and the colleagues who have assisted me along the way, and this includes Native-Owned businesses.” This Trailblazer will now have the authority to circumvent traditional federal guidelines and set-aside opportunities for Native-owned businesses, which are often HUBZones. The road looks bright for Native-owned businesses working with IHS. Mr. Almaraz can already anticipate the avalanche of opportunities that will be generated by this Final Rule, not to mention the resources that will build and improve life in Indian Country. He also looks forward to the bringing to the community the dollars that will strengthen their ecosystem including education, innovation, health, and housing.
Exceeding the 3% HUBZone Goal When this Trailblazer arrived at IHS, their HUBZone numbers were less than 1 percent. He said, “I was personally embarrassed; I was aware that all Indian reservations were automatically classified as HUBZones. This
20 22 HEALTH
Santiago Almaraz, Director, Office of Management Services, Indian Health Service, HHS
and a win-win for both Indian Affairs and the American Indian and Alaska Native business community. The regulations will provide certainty for individually owned businesses, tribal enterprises, and Alaska Native corporations interested in selling their products to Indian Affairs. We expect this will help increase economic activity in tribal communities and provide greater employment opportunities where these businesses are located.”