Small business federal contracting would change under Chabot bill
Source: FierceGovernment, article written by Ryan McDermott, March 22, 2015
The chairman of the House Small Business Committee introduced a bill that would include more categories for small businesses to get federal contracts.
The bill (H.R. 1481), introduced by Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), would increase the number of industries small businesses can compete for contracts as well as identifying new ways to attract small businesses in those new industry categories.
“Small business contracting policies are intended to make sure we have a broad spectrum of small firms working with the government across industries, and when those policies are undermined, it is imperative that we find appropriate solutions,” Chabot says in a March 20 statement.
The bill would also require the Small Business Administration to create new small business procurement goals for agencies by Sept. 30, the statement says.
If the bill passes, the SBA would be charged with measuring how well the new regulations are working and measure its success at agencies governmentwide in fiscal 2017.
Chabot says in the statement that in the last four years, the number of small businesses participating in federal procurement has fallen by over 100,000 companies.
And the number of contracts being awarded to small businesses has fallen by nearly 60 percent.
“This reduced competition ultimately increases the cost of goods and services for the federal government and diminishes the vibrancy of the industrial base, which threatens national security,” Chabot says in the statement.
For help with Government Contracting: contact your nearest Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Funded through Cooperative Agreements between the U.S. Department of Defense and state and local governments/institutions, PTACs provide free and low-cost assistance in virtually all areas of government contracting.