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# Bush Administration looking out for little guy
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/bush-administration-looking-out-for-little-guy/
- Published: 2005-06-30T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:21:19.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By HECTOR V. BARRETO*

One of the many key responsibilities of the U.S. Small Business Administration is to ensure that small businesses receive a fair portion of federal procurement dollars. The SBA takes pride in both its efforts and accomplishments in what it has attained. For example, the latest figures available indicate that in fiscal year 2003, the U.S. government met its goal of awarding 23 percent of prime contracts, more than $65 billion, to small businesses. If you count associated subcontracts, small businesses received more than $110 billion in contracting dollars. While this is good news, we’re striving to do more.

One of the realities about government contracting is that it is not what it was just a decade ago. Now, contracts can last 20 years or more. For small businesses competing for government contracts, this more complex environment has crucial implications. The key is to make sure small businesses can compete fairly for contracting dollars. To that end, the administration has undertaken a number of actions to streamline and strengthen the contracting process.

In 2002, President Bush, as part of his small business agenda, ordered that contract bundling be minimized. There is a widespread practice of consolidating contracts performed by small businesses into a single, larger one. The resulting contract is not suitable for small businesses to bid on. As a result of the president’s directive to level the playing field, SBA in conjunction with the federal procurement community, published regulations addressing the mitigation of contract bundling.

Additionally, the SBA has improved the accuracy of its small business procurement database by purging businesses that may have in fact been large. In addition, small businesses in this database must now update their information annually.

Other steps we’ve taken include per-mitting small businesses to challenge any contract award where they may question the size of the winning firm. Also, the SBA now lists on its Web site businesses found to be other than small as the result of a formal size determination made by the agency.

One important action that took effect last December requires small businesses to recertify their size when a contract they have is transferred to another firm. SBA also will soon release final size recertifica-tion rules that would redefine when during the life of a long-term contract a small business’ size status should be determined. The net effect of these activities will help the federal government have a clearer picture on how small businesses are faring in government contracting and more importantly, to take steps if it’s required.

Contracting opportunities for small businesses are dependent on their size. Because of this, we’re re-examining what is actually defined as a small business. Today, there are 37 different definitions, depending on revenues and/or number of employees.

We’re being innovative by creating other procurement opportunities for small businesses. Our Business Matchmaking program has resulted in millions of dollars in new contracts, but more importantly tens of thousands have gotten access to buyers and decision makers they never would have met otherwise. In the near future, the purchasing arm of the federal government, the General Services Administration, will go out to bid on multi-billion dollar contracting opportunities specifically set aside for small businesses.

Something I know directly from having been a small business owner is that small businesses don’t expect anything to be handed to them. What they do want is more business. The actions by the Bush Administration, as well as the SBA with respect to federal procurement, will help to do exactly that.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 30, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/063005.pdf?ref=smdp.com)