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Tag: small disadvantaged business

GSA has an equity plan

For the first time in its history, GSA has an equity action plan. Their goal is to increase investments in small disadvantaged businesses (SDB)s. This while the Biden Administration addresses systemic issues, negatively affecting underserved communities. (Federal Computer Week April 14, 2022)

Last week, GSA announced its plan to administer $75 billion in annual contracts. GSA plans to focus on three particular areas: federal procurement, federal buildings, and federal technology design and delivery. (ibid)

The GSA plan identified five barriers impacting SDBs from achieving equitable outcomes in the federal marketplace:

  • Lack of centralized portal
  • Inability to access potential awards
  • Lack of knowledge of federal procurement requirements
  • Inability to navigate and or comply with federal procurement requirements. (ibid)

GSA is looking for new ways for SDBs to find places on existing governmentwide acquisition contracts while creating a supplier diversity plan along with a “robust post-award engagement strategy” to make sure SDBs are successful. GSA is simplifying the process for new candidates, educating and creating new pathways into the federal procurement arena. (ibid)

According to Robin Carnahan, GSA Administrator, “this plan lays out how GSA intends to integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as a priority in everything we do, from delivering projects to designing websites. For government to work, it needs to work for everyone. That’s why we are focused on improving how we at GSA, and our federal partners, can improve how we deliver services to all of America’s communities.” (ibid)

In support of the Biden Administration’s goal to increase federal contract spending on SDBs, GSA plans to increase federal contract spending by 50% over the coming five years. The Small Business Administration is investing in technology to improve program applications. The goal is to increase access to capital for minority-owned businesses. In addition, the White House plans to invest $31 billion in various forms of assistance for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses. (ibid)

Are you an SDB or minority-owned business looking to work with the Federal Government? Give us a call.

The Department of Defense is making Small Business their business

The Federal Register recently posted a request for comments which stated, “The participation of dynamic, resilient, and innovative small businesses in the defense industrial base is critical to the United States’ efforts to maintain its technological superiority, military readiness, and warfighting advantage. The department seeks public input on the barriers that small businesses face in working with the department. This input will be used to update the department’s Small Business Strategy led by the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Small Business Programs.” (Nextgov September 15, 2021)

DoD is looking to reinforce President Biden’s executive orders supporting underserved communities while promoting American competition. Some specific areas of exploration are:

  • What regulations or business practices hinder the relationship between small businesses and the government?
  • How do the department’s initiatives (The Mentor-Protege Program, Indian Incentive Program, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, the Rapid Innovation Fund, Small business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer), support or impact small businesses?
  • How do contracting timelines impact small businesses?
  •  Are skilled workforces attainable to “sustain a competitive small business ecosystem?”
  • How the coronavirus pandemic has impacted small businesses in the defense industrial base. (ibid)

At a recent Pennsylvania Showcase on Commerce, Defense Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks said, “over the past decade, small businesses in the defense industrial base shrunk by over 40%. The data shows that if we continue along the same trend, we could lose an additional 15,000 suppliers over the next 10 years.” She noted that the department is committed to making it more straightforward for small businesses to win contracts and referenced the Request for Comments notice in the Federal Register.

President Biden is “committed to nurturing small businesses that have faced historic barriers in rural and urban America, including businesses owned by veterans, women, and people of color-especially Black, Latino and Asian American businesses.” President Biden’s goal is to double the number of federal contracts awarded to small and disadvantaged businesses, in the next few years.

The Department of Defense is looking for input by October 25, 2021, to their Request for Comments. If you have questions about the RFC or are looking to work with the DoD or other government agency, give us a call.

 

 

With modernization comes small business opportunities

On July 29, the Senate passed the Promoting Rigorous and Innovative Cost Efficiencies for Federal Procurement and Acquisitions (PRICE) Act to modernize the federal acquisition process and expand contracting opportunities for small businesses. This legislation encourages the execution of innovative new systems and procedures while allowing small businesses to grow their businesses through federal contracts. (Federal Soup August 2, 2021)

The objective of the Price Act is to address long-standing obstacles facing small businesses attempting to contract with the federal government.  The Act goes so far as to require federal agencies to report on how they plan to improve mission outcomes and increase small business participation in government contracting. (ibid)

The PRICE Act passage directly follows a white house objective to direct $100 billion toward small disadvantaged businesses by expanding federal contracting opportunities. (ibid)

Are you a woman, minority, veteran-owned, or small disadvantaged business with contracting questions or experiencing hurdles that are hard to overcome? Give us a call.

 

 

15% Goal for Small Disadvantaged Businesses

When it comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) the Biden administration is making good on its promises. The administration issued an executive order rescinding the Trump administration policies that weakened the diversity, equity, and inclusion training programs at agencies and federal contractors. In addition, the Office of Management and Budget issued a request for information (RFI) searching for DE&I solutions to enhance a number of government activities. (Government Executive May 19, 2021)

This particular RFI appears to be a crowd-sourcing application for policy solutions. It shows that the current administration is very serious about DE&I and their willingness to accept changes and an openness to new and different ways of viewing the inner workings of the government. (ibid)

It appears the administration is looking for better ways to leverage the government’s spending capability. To make sure all receive their fair share and to help close the income, wage, and opportunity gaps. The administration has initiated a 15% goal for federal contract dollars to go to small disadvantaged businesses. Although this looks like a great opportunity it is actually quite hard to measure how many dollars actually funnel through prime contractors to their subs. Figuring out how to measure the dollar flow would be a good start, then putting the 15% goal into effect. Progress is measurable at that point. (ibid)

So where are we today? Can the administration succeed with its DE&I goals? The question becomes, “how do we know?” Steps are clearly headed in the right direction, however, a commitment and a baseline are needed to end up where we want to be.

Are you a small disadvantaged business looking into GSA? Give us a call.

 

Self Certification — No More ;-(

The 2015 National Defense Authorization Act mandated that the Small Business Administration (SBA) discontinue self-certification of women-owned and other small businesses. In 2020, SBA plans to finalize a self-certification rule that closes a loophole allowing participants in the SBA’s Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) program to self-certify. (Federal News Network, June 2019)

Approximately one-quarter of all federal contracts are held by small businesses, which over the past six years has helped federal agencies to  exceed  SBA’s governmentwide small business contracting goal. This year’s spending of more than $120 billion on small business contracts surpasses last year’s spending by nearly $15 billion.

The Government Accountability Office reported in March that almost 40 percent of WOSB-certified businesses were ineligible. Meanwhile, SBA’s Office of Inspector General June 2018 audit found 89 percent of sole-source (50 out of 56 contracts) did not meet all program criteria. Basically, there is currently no way to know if the contracts, listed in the chart below, were actually eligible for the sole-source awards. (ibid)

Rob Wong, SBA’s associate administrator of the Office of Government promotes a formal certification to  give the program some much-needed integrity. Wong said, “simply put, the wrong companies were receiving our contracts, we want to make sure that, if a company receives a contract through these programs, they’re actually eligible to receive it.” (ibid)

SBA has subsequently published a proposed rule in the Federal Register eliminating self-certification and providing a free online certification application to WOSB. Comments on the proposed rule are being accepted until July 15. In Wong’s opinion, it is high time to streamline the vetting process for the many other set-aside programs, all of which have different sets of eligibility criteria. Wong feels that going to three formal certifications for 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zones, women-owned, and service-disabled veterans will unify the processes. The rule with set-aside screening is expected to take a year for the changes to take effect. (ibid)

Do you have questions about the new certification process and how it may affect your current contract or an upcoming opportunity? Give us a call at 301-913-5000.