ISBEE / Tribal Advantage
Procurement mechanics guide for federal contracting officers and prime contractors. How Soulier Group LLC's self represented ISBEE, IEE, and SDB status and Native American ownership fit Buy Indian Act acquisitions and prime subcontracting goals.
Soulier Group LLC's Socioeconomic Status
| Designation | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE) / ISBEE | Buy Indian Act (25 U.S.C. § 47), implemented in DIAR Part 1480 (Interior) and HHSAR Subpart 326.6 (HHS). The IEE representation is provided per solicitation. | Self represented |
| Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) | FAR 52.212-3 representation in SAM.gov | Self represented |
| Native American Owned | Sole owner is an enrolled member, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin (federally recognized tribe) | Active |
| Minority Owned Business | SAM.gov socioeconomic business types | Self represented |
| SBA 8(a) Business Development Program | 13 CFR Part 124, Subpart A. Eligibility under review following SBA's September 2026 rule change. | Under review |
For Federal Contracting Officers (Buy Indian Act Sole-Source)
Indian trust agencies have explicit statutory authority to set aside or sole-source procurements to Indian Economic Enterprises (IEEs) under the Buy Indian Act (25 U.S.C. § 47). This includes HHS (Indian Health Service), Interior (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Office of Self-Governance), and other Indian trust contracting offices.
Sole-Source Authority Mechanics
- Buy Indian Act preference: Indian trust agencies must give priority to IEEs in acquisitions.
- Sole-source procurement: Indian trust agencies may issue sole-source awards to IEEs when documented justifications support the action under FAR Part 6 and DIAR Part 1480.
- Set-aside procurement: Indian trust agencies may set aside acquisitions for IEEs only.
- Tier preference: Acquisitions are first considered for IEE set-aside before being opened to other small business set-aside categories.
- IEE representation: Soulier Group LLC self-represents its IEE status in each solicitation's Indian Economic Enterprise representation (for Interior acquisitions, DIAR Subpart 1480.8). Its entity registration is verifiable in SAM.gov under UEI
HUJFDP334G53.
Outside Indian trust agencies, Soulier Group LLC competes as a small business under FAR Part 19. Its Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) status is self represented in SAM.gov (FAR 52.212-3).
For Prime Contractors (Subcontracting Credit)
Soulier Group LLC is positioned to support prime offerors competing on federal solicitations that require Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), ISBEE, or Native American subcontracting credit.
DoD Indian Incentive Program (DFARS 252.226-7001)
Soulier Group LLC qualifies as an Indian Owned Economic Enterprise under 25 U.S.C. § 1544 / DFARS 226.103. Ownership and tribal enrollment documentation, plus ready to insert subcontract clause language, is available to the prime's subcontracts manager on request.
What Primes Get From Teaming With Soulier Group LLC
- Subcontracting plan credit across multiple categories, based on the firm's self represented status: SDB, ISBEE, Native American Owned, Minority Owned, Small Business.
- Indian Incentive Program: an incentive equal to 5 percent of the subcontract amount on eligible DoD contracts, subject to the availability of funds (above).
- Technical capability: 18 year senior systems engineer with hands on multi vendor network security (Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, Cisco Meraki, Fortinet, SonicWall, HPE Aruba) executing the work directly: not a junior staff bait and switch.
- Compliance native operations: HIPAA, PCI DSS, CJIS production experience that maps cleanly to NIST 800-171 / CMMC Level 2.
- Documentation support: teaming agreements, capability statements, pricing inputs, and labor category alignment, scheduled around prime proposal deadlines.
- Specialty alignment: Microsoft 365, Defender for Endpoint and Cloud Apps, Entra ID, multi vendor network security (Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS, Cisco ASA / Firepower FTD / ISR / UCS / Meraki, Fortinet with VDOM, SonicWall, HPE Aruba switching and wireless with Aruba Central), virtualization, datacenter infrastructure (HPE Synergy, HPE Nimble, HPE 3PAR), KnowBe4 security awareness: vendor-specific expertise rather than generic IT support.
Subcontracting Engagement Models
| Model | Description |
|---|---|
| Named Sub on Proposal | Soulier Group LLC named on prime offeror's proposal team for SDB / ISBEE / Native American socioeconomic credit on federal solicitations. |
| 1099 Subcontractor | Brian D. Soulier engaged part time, by arrangement, at the prime's labor rates for specific labor categories (Senior Microsoft 365 Engineer, Senior Cyber Engineer, Senior Network Security Engineer, Senior Systems Engineer, Compliance Engineer, Microsoft 365 Records Management and eDiscovery Specialist, Virtualization Engineer). |
| FFP Task Subcontract | Firm-fixed-price task subcontract with defined deliverables and milestones. |
| Time-and-Materials Subcontract | T&M subcontract for level of effort engagements where scope evolves with discovery. |
Set-Aside and Socioeconomic Program Eligibility
| Set-Aside / Program | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Buy Indian Act / IEE | Eligible as a self represented IEE (Indian trust agency set-asides and, where justified, sole-source awards) |
| Small Business (FAR Part 19) | Eligible (Small Business at all NAICS sizes) |
| Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) | Self represented in SAM.gov (FAR 52.212-3). SDB is not a set-aside category. |
| SBA 8(a) | Not a participant. Eligibility under review following SBA's September 2026 rule change. |
| HUBZone | Not pursued (off reservation principal place of business) |
| WOSB / EDWOSB / SDVOSB | Not eligible (sole owner is male and not a veteran) |
| DoD Indian Incentive Program | Eligible: primes may receive an incentive equal to 5 percent of the amount subcontracted to an Indian owned firm, subject to the availability of funds (DFARS 226.103, 252.226-7001) |
SBA 8(a) Status (Transparent Disclosure)
Soulier Group LLC is not an 8(a) Business Development Program participant. The firm's 8(a) eligibility is under review following SBA's September 2026 rule change.
Soulier Group LLC holds no federal awards to date. The firm is building its federal operating record, with Buy Indian Act set-asides as the primary path.
Verification and Cross Reference
Federal contracting officers and prime proposal managers can independently verify Soulier Group LLC's status via:
| Source | Reference |
|---|---|
| SAM.gov entity record | SAM.gov entity search (UEI HUJFDP334G53) |
| Wisconsin DFI | Entity ID S168001 (organized 2026-04-16); registered agent of record |
| SAM.gov representations | SDB (FAR 52.212-3), Native American Owned, and Minority Owned, as self represented in the SAM.gov entity record. The IEE representation is provided per solicitation. |
| Lac du Flambeau Tribal Enrollment Office | P.O. Box 67, Lac du Flambeau WI 54538: (715) 588-4304 |