WIPP Update -- bill on small business contracting

The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee passed S. 2300, The Small Business Contracting Revitalization Act of 2007.

The bipartisan bill was drafted by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee, and cosponsored by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD). The bill seeks to eliminate barriers for small business contracting, improves the oversight of unbundling contracts for small firms, increases enforcement of protections for subcontractors, and expands opportunities for minority, women and service-disabled entrepreneurs. According to Senator Kerry, the Majority Leader has agreed to consider this legislation on the floor before the end of the Congressional session this year.

The bill was passed with seven modifications to the original bill. Those included: An SBA study of the effectiveness of the Mentor-Protégé program, a SBA study of the number of dollars spent by agencies contracted to small businesses, an SBA study of the barriers facing women, 8(a), SDB and Hubzone contractors, an expansion of the BusinessLINC program, a GAO study of the effectiveness of Procurement Center Representatives (PCR) and an amendment to the surety bond program. Please find attached the amendments to the bill.

Senator Snowe expressed her frustration at the SBA’s lack of implementation of the women-owned contracting program and pointed out that the failure to implement this program greatly affected the ability of agencies to meet their woman-owned goal. Senator Levin, Chair of the Armed Services Committee, is seeking to amend the bill with regard to some DOD contracting issues. Although he was not specific, Chairman Kerry said he would work with him to resolve differences. Senator Bond is pursing an amendment similar to the Enzi/Bond amendment to last year’s SBA Reauthorization bill to address SBA regulations with regard to venture capital. It is his belief that SBA regulations discourage investment from venture capitilists’ investment in small businesses, especially the biotech industry.

Read the Bill.