On June 3, U.S. Representative George Latimer’s (NY-16) bill, the Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act, passed the House of Representatives unanimously. The bipartisan bill, co-led by Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04), also passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Small Business in March.
“Small business owners are often resource constrained. Every day, these individuals engage in a variety of business-related activities, from selling products to developing marketing materials to handling compliance issues,” said Rep. Latimer. “It can be confusing and deeply frustrating for a small business owner if a federal agency decides to cancel a solicitation without transparency into why that decision has been made. If we are serious about bringing more small businesses into federal contracting, we must ensure that business owners have confidence and trust in their federal partners.”
Once a federal agency determines they have a need for certain products or services, the agency’s acquisition personnel will post a solicitation on the federal government’s SAM.gov website for a contract to fill the requirements. When responding to a solicitation, small businesses can spend significant time and costs preparing a proposal.
Rep. Latimer continued, “Last year, the Small Business Committee heard testimony from a small business owner that said solicitation proposals can cost a small business upwards of $10,000 worth of labor to draft, develop, review, and execute. With that in mind, it can be rightfully frustrating for a small business owner if a federal agency decides to cancel a solicitation without transparency into why that decision has been made.”
The Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act would require the Small Business Administrator to:
- Issue regulations addressing canceled solicitations for contracts that small businesses are eligible for to provide for the disclosure of additional information about why the solicitation was canceled and any plans to reissue the solicitation; and
- Require a federal agency’s Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) to help small businesses seek additional opportunities if a solicitation on which they made an offer is canceled.
You can watch Rep. Latimer speaking about his bill on the House floor here.
