House passes small business contracting bills
Published on 06/05/2012
The $642 billion defense spending bill recently passed by the House of Representatives includes eight measures that intend to increase small business participation in government contracting.
The bills include:
- The Government Efficiency Through Small Business Contracting Act, which would increase the federal government's small business annual participation goal from 23% to 25%;
- The Small Business Advocate Act, would create a single point of contact responsible for advocating on behalf of small businesses at the Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization;
- The Subcontracting Transparency and Reliability Act, which aims to increase transparency in federal procurement, prevent large contractors from establishing small business "front" companies, and would make it easier for small businesses to team up to win contracts;
- The Small Business Opportunity Act, which would include small business advocates in the procurement process;
- The Building Better Business Partnerships Act, which would expand the Small Business Administration's mentor-protege programs;
- The Small Business Protection Act, which would change the way the small business size standards are formulated;
- The Contractor Opportunity Protection Act, which would restrict the practice of contract bundling; and
- The Contracting Oversight for Small Business Jobs Act, which aims to fight fraud in the procurement process.
President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the defense spending bill because it exceeds the White House's Pentagon budget request.
According to the spokesman for the House Small Business Committee, the bills were attached to the defense bill because doing so guaranteed that they would make it to the House floor.
