Agencies fall short of small business contracting goals

Government Executive.com Agencies fall short of small business contracting goals

By Robert Brodsky August 17, 2007

http://www.govexec.com/story_page_pf.cfm?articleid=37809&printerfriendlyvers=1

Kerry Cautious on Small Business Contracting Numbers

Kerry Cautious on Small Business Contracting Numbers
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Senator John Kerry(D-Mass.), Chairman of the Committee on Small Business andEntrepreneurship, released the following statement in response to therelease of the federal government's "Small Business Goaling Report" for2006. The Small Business Administration released the report detailing themoney each federal agency spent with small businesses, including tominority, women and service-disabled owned firms.
"I'm glad to see Administrator Preston has taken some steps to fix thefaulty and misleading small business contracting numbers and hold agenciesaccountable, but these numbers should still be viewed with caution. Despitethe federal contracting budget increasing by at least $20 billion lastyear, the percentage going to small businesses decreased and the governmentstill isn't counting the whole pie because of special exemptions andexclusions.
"It's critical that we continue to improve the reporting system andcount all contracts in calculations so we know the reality on the ground.It's not about meeting the goals for the sake of meeting a number. Doingmore business with small firms is good for our economic and nationalsecurity because it diversifies our supply base. I will continue to reviewand analyze these numbers and will work with Administrator Preston toensure that the entire government is truly meeting the small businessgoals."

SOURCE Senate Committee on Small Business-Democratic

ASBL Contract Bundling

For those of you who are or have been involved with Federal contracting we are currently working on a "contract bundling" project. If you have lost a contract in either or both of the following situations please email us those specific instances. Your information will help us in gathering data in regarding contract bundling.

1. You lost small business contract because it was bundled
2. You lost a small business contract to a large business because it was bundled

Of course we always keep your information confidential and appreciate your help in exposing fraud and abuse in Federal Contracting. Please just included "Contract Bundling" in the subject line.

Thank you,
Lloyd
lchapman@asbl.com

POGO: Contractor Misconduct Database

Here is an interesting tool provided by Project On Government Oversight (POGO) the “Contractor Misconduct Database”

In their own words…
The government awards contracts to companies with histories of misconduct such as contract fraud and environmental, ethics, and labor violations. In the absence of a centralized federal database listing instances of misconduct, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is providing such data. We believe that it will lead to improved contracting decisions and public access to information about how the government spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer money each year on goods and services.

'Iraqi first' policy hurts N.J. firm | Northjersey.com

'Iraqi first' policy hurts N.J. firm
By Justo Bautista Staff Writer
northjersey.com August 11, 2007

Source: http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1NSZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzE4MDI5MCZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=

Thank you from the American Small Business League

With congress going into a break, I wanted to touch base and fill you in on our recent progress towards the removal of large firms from federal small business contracting. For the last two weeks, Lloyd Chapman, Adam Melenkivitz and myself have been in Washington D.C. conducting meetings in the Senate and the House of Representatives. In that two-week period we conducted more than 120 meetings with high level legislative staffers regarding annual re-certification for all firms with federal small business contracts as well as a piece of legislation we are drafting. The meetings went extremely well and we believe that we are closer than ever to an effective legislative solution to stop the diversion of federal small business contract awards to large companies and the practice of federal agencies counting those awards towards the federal governments 23 percent small business procurement goal. We believe, legislation to stop the federal government from awarding small business contracts to large corporations and redirect these funds to legitimate small businesses would be one of the most significant economic boosts to the middle class economy in recent history. We wanted to thank you for reaching out to your elected officials and encourage you to continue doing so with your small business concerns and support for annual re-certification for all firms who currently hold federal small business contracts. However, with the legislation on the horizon, the battle for the removal of large corporations from federal small business contracting is just beginning. Remember, with your help we can provide greater opportunity in federal contracting for small businesses across the country and in your state. This is a very exciting time for all small business owners and in order to reinforce our efforts, we need you and everyone that you know to contact your elected officials and tell them that you support the removal of large companies from federal small business contracting. Tell them that you want an amendment to H.R. 1873, that would require annual re-certification for all firms with existing federal small business contracts and their support for our legislation to stop the federal government from counting awards to large companies towards the federal governments 23 percent small business procurement goal. If our legislation is passed, we believe that as a federal contractor you will see a significant increase in your business and if you are not a federal contractor you will have greater opportunity to become one. Thank you and we will be in touch with updates on this issue as they happen. Best regards, Chris Gunn

Missteps found in awarding Katrina deals - USA Today

Here is an interesting update on the Katrina awards from USA Today

Addtionally the ASBL is presenting at the San Francisco Small Business Commission on Monday, August 13, 2007 http://sfgov.org/site/sbc_page.asp?id=65664