Welcome to the policy corner where we recap Congressional and agency actions which impact federal contracting. There are all kinds of actions taken by federal agencies, Capitol Hill and sometimes the President that have a direct effect on federal contractors. This column is designed to provide an easy to read summary of recent policy changes or proposed changes that affect women-owned businesses and federal contracting.
Leadership Change
The Senate confirmed
Maria Contreras-Sweet as the new
Administrator of the Small
Business Administration.
Administrator Contreras-Sweet,
the founder of Los Angeles-based
ProAmérica Bank, now takes the
helm of the government agency critical to the success of small businesses. Given her background in banking and community lending, WIPP looks forward to her firsthand experience in leading the SBA’s efforts to increase capital access for women-owned businesses.
Also, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
is the new Chair of the Senate Small
Business & Entrepreneurship
Committee. She takes over for Senator
Mary Landrieu (D-LA) who became
Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee.
Take Six
The House Small Business Committee passed six bills affecting small businesses and contracting. The bills included two WIPP priorities: providing sole-source authority for the women-owned contracting program as well as increasing the small business contracting goals. The additional focus on improving the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program, for which WIPP has long advocated, is more evidence that this issue is of great importance to lawmakers. All six of the bills now await consideration by the full House.
H.R. 2542—The Women’s Procurement Program Equalization Act of 2013: PASSED
Sponsor: Ranking Member Nydia Velazquez D-NY. The bill provides Contracting Officers with the authority to award sole-source contracts to women-owned small businesses through the WOSB procurement program. While WIPP supports this change, the bill contains additional language that would eliminate the ability for WOSBs to self-certify, creating a barrier to women entering the program. WIPP believes sole-source authority should be the only focus of the bill.
H.R. 4093—The Greater Opportunities for Small Business Act of 2014: PASSED
Sponsor: Chair Sam Graves R-MO. The bill raises the federal government’s small business contracting goals: for prime contracts, the goal is raised to 25% (currently at 23%); the subcontracting goal is raised to 40% (currently at 35.9%). WIPP supports this bill, as it would translate to more than $10 billion in additional contracting opportunities for small businesses.
H.R. 4094—The Contract Data and Bundling Accountability Act of 2014: PASSED
Sponsor: Chair Sam Graves R-MO
The bill requires the Small Business Administration to oversee improved reporting methods on bundled contracts for all federal agencies. Bundled contracts undergo additional reviews to ensure fair small business considerations, and have been under-reported in previous years. WIPP supports this bill.
H.R. 2751—The Commonsense Construction Contracting Act of 2013: PASSED
Sponsor: Rep. Richard Hanna R-NY. The bill prohibits reverse auctions to be used in the awarded of any small business construction or design contracts.
H.R. 776—Security in Bonding Act of 2013: PASSED
Sponsor: Chair Sam Graves R-MO. The SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee is increased from 70% to 90%.
H.R. 2882—Improving Opportunities for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Act of 2013:
PASSED
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Coffman R-CO. The bill moves the authority of designating businesses as veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB) or service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB) entirely to the Small Business Administration (SBA). Currently, both the SBA and the Department of Veterans Affairs play a role.
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If you support any of the above bills, you should send your representative a letter. WIPP plans on issuing action alerts on some of this legislation soon – stay tuned.
Follow the Money
The President released his FY2015 Budget Request, setting the wheels in motion for the FY2015 appropriations process to heat up. Although Congress does not necessarily follow his lead, they do use this document as a blueprint from which to work. Take the time to read about the President's recommendations for the agencies with which you contract.
www.wipp.org
Contracting Updates
From the Capitol
Maria Contreras-Sweet
Sen. Maria Cantwell