Washington Business Journal
Feds change rules for small business contracting goal
- August 31, 2007by Ben HammerStaff Reporter
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2007/08/27/daily41.html?f=et87&ana=e_du
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
SBA's Strategic Plan Out for Comment
Last week the Small Business Administration released it’s strategic plan (pdf) for fiscal 2008 through 2012. The agency will be accepting public comments on the document through Sept. 10 via the SBA Web site or e-mail to performancereports@sba.gov.
“The agency report outlines four strategic goals, which are largely similar to past SBA planning cycles, except it delves into areas that it seeks to improve,” according to an a blog from the Washington Post’s Sharon McLoone.
This a great opportunity America’s 26 million small businesses to speak up and let the SBA know they will no longer tolerate the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations. We are asking our members, their employees and other friends of small business to contact the SBA and let them know that the removal of large firms from federal small business contracting needs to be a priority now and in the future.
“The agency report outlines four strategic goals, which are largely similar to past SBA planning cycles, except it delves into areas that it seeks to improve,” according to an a blog from the Washington Post’s Sharon McLoone.
This a great opportunity America’s 26 million small businesses to speak up and let the SBA know they will no longer tolerate the diversion of federal small business contracts to large corporations. We are asking our members, their employees and other friends of small business to contact the SBA and let them know that the removal of large firms from federal small business contracting needs to be a priority now and in the future.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Federal Times, SBA Small Business Goal Report
Critics question progress on small-business goals
By ELISE CASTELLI
August 27, 2007
http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=2991493
By ELISE CASTELLI
August 27, 2007
http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=2991493
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
SBA Sticks to Miscoding to Explain Small Business Contracts to Fortune 500 Firms
Petaluma, Calif. – For the fifth consecutive year the Small Business Administration has cited miscoding as one of the primary reasons for the diversion of billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to some of the nation’s largest defense contractors.
During an SBA hosted teleconference on Friday, August 17th, SBA Administrator Steven Preston told journalists that miscoding was still a problem and that miscoding was the main reason that large firms such as Lockheed Martin were still receiving federal small business contracts. Other firms receiving federal small business contracts include Halliburton, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, SAIC, and General Dynamics.
The SBA began to cite miscoding as a reason for the diversion of federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms beginning in 2002. Yet, in the last five years the SBA has been unable to explain why miscoding, which should be a random occurrence, tends to happen only in situations involving contracts to large companies miscoded as small business contract awards and not as large business contract awards to small companies.
In addition to the miscoding, Administrator Preston claimed that “old regs” were another problem which allows large businesses to receive federal small business contracts and acknowledged that in previous years small business contracting numbers posted by the Bush Administration did contain awards to Fortune 500 companies because of these old regulations. However, Preston failed to mention that the old regulations that have allowed the federal government to report awards to large businesses as small businesses contract awards were written by the federal government and coauthored by the SBA and the Office of Management and Budget.
Since 2002, there have been more than a dozen federal investigations that offered more plausible explanations as to why the world’s largest defense contractors have received federal small business contracts. A report from the SBA Office of Advocacy found fraud in the form of vendor deception, the SBA Office of Inspector General found fraud in Report 5-16, and in Report 5-14 found that the SBA itself was reporting awards to large businesses as small business awards.
In the teleconference, Preston also announced that of the 24 federal agencies only half achieved their small business contracting goal. Additionally, he announced that the government had adjusted the total amount of small business contracts awarded to legitimate small businesses for FY 2005 by reducing the previous total by $4.6 billion.
“The SBA has had 10 months to review this data and for them to come out and say that there is still miscoding is unacceptable.” President of the ASBL, Lloyd Chapman said. “After 5 years, it is an insult to the intelligence of every American and every member of Congress, that the SBA thinks that people still believe that billions of dollars a year in awards to some of the nation’s largest defense contractors are the result of random data entry errors. It is absurd and ridiculous. Members of Congress called previous SBA Administrator Hector Barretto dishonest and I think that Preston is following in his footsteps.”
###
During an SBA hosted teleconference on Friday, August 17th, SBA Administrator Steven Preston told journalists that miscoding was still a problem and that miscoding was the main reason that large firms such as Lockheed Martin were still receiving federal small business contracts. Other firms receiving federal small business contracts include Halliburton, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, SAIC, and General Dynamics.
The SBA began to cite miscoding as a reason for the diversion of federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms beginning in 2002. Yet, in the last five years the SBA has been unable to explain why miscoding, which should be a random occurrence, tends to happen only in situations involving contracts to large companies miscoded as small business contract awards and not as large business contract awards to small companies.
In addition to the miscoding, Administrator Preston claimed that “old regs” were another problem which allows large businesses to receive federal small business contracts and acknowledged that in previous years small business contracting numbers posted by the Bush Administration did contain awards to Fortune 500 companies because of these old regulations. However, Preston failed to mention that the old regulations that have allowed the federal government to report awards to large businesses as small businesses contract awards were written by the federal government and coauthored by the SBA and the Office of Management and Budget.
Since 2002, there have been more than a dozen federal investigations that offered more plausible explanations as to why the world’s largest defense contractors have received federal small business contracts. A report from the SBA Office of Advocacy found fraud in the form of vendor deception, the SBA Office of Inspector General found fraud in Report 5-16, and in Report 5-14 found that the SBA itself was reporting awards to large businesses as small business awards.
In the teleconference, Preston also announced that of the 24 federal agencies only half achieved their small business contracting goal. Additionally, he announced that the government had adjusted the total amount of small business contracts awarded to legitimate small businesses for FY 2005 by reducing the previous total by $4.6 billion.
“The SBA has had 10 months to review this data and for them to come out and say that there is still miscoding is unacceptable.” President of the ASBL, Lloyd Chapman said. “After 5 years, it is an insult to the intelligence of every American and every member of Congress, that the SBA thinks that people still believe that billions of dollars a year in awards to some of the nation’s largest defense contractors are the result of random data entry errors. It is absurd and ridiculous. Members of Congress called previous SBA Administrator Hector Barretto dishonest and I think that Preston is following in his footsteps.”
###
Monday, August 20, 2007
ASBL: Small Businesses Responsible for Nearly All New Jobs
Here is an article from Inc.com reporting the annual statistics published by Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy.
Friday, August 17, 2007
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=1Kerry 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
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
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