USFCR Blog

The results are in. The Small Business Administration (SBA) released its FY2019 Small Business Procurement Scorecard. This scorecard serves as an annual report showing if federal agencies met their small business contracting requirements. Although things are looking dismal in the commercial sector, the federal sector is still going strong on small business spending. 

The 8(a) Business Development Program requires a lengthy certification process. This designation can help your business win more government contracts. USFCR provides a streamlined process to make sure this process happens error-free and compliantly.

Federal contracting is a highly competitive sector. Getting your foot in the door is a whole feat of its own. However, a true indicator of a contractor’s prowess and quality of work is when Uncle Sam chooses to build a working relationship with their business. Such is the case with RTG Building Services Inc. (which has held previous contracts under LP Custodial) winning their rebid on a janitorial contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After a 10 year contract, the Army has once again solidified their trust in RTG Building Services Inc. with this recent award.

As a government contractor (or prospective one), you’ve probably seen the term “economically
disadvantaged” pop-up here and there. Mainly, you’re going to see it when it pertains to 8(a) Business Development Program and the Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) set-aside. Both of these programs, if you are qualified, can provide you a wide array of opportunities in the federal marketplace.

So in this blog post, we’re going to cover what it means to economically disadvantaged as well as socially disadvantaged .

Let’s get to it.

The U.S. Department of Commerce on December 15, 2015 released the final results of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO), which found that business ownership in our nation is mirroring our increasingly diverse population.  Minority-owned firms in the U.S. rose from 5.8 million in 2007 to 8.0 million in 2012, and employed 7.2 million people in 2012. While the number of minority-owned businesses increased by 2.2 million, the number of non-minority- owned businesses declined by 1.1 million, from 20.1 million in 2007 to 18.9 million in 2012.

Do you know what the terms “set-aside” and “simplified acquisition” means in terms of government contracting? If you don’t, you’re not alone. Many of our clients see these terms in solicitations and ask us to better explain what the terms mean and if their company even qualifies.

SBA has put out several articles about Minority Owned Business and 8a qualifications.  The posts make it hard for small business to identify if they are a minority owned business or an 8a business.

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has created a certification program that focuses on economically disadvantaged businesses and minority business enterprises. The name of the program is called the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Certification Program.  Businesses must be 51% owned and controlled by an economically and socially disadvantaged individual.  The DBE program provides more exposure to government contracting opportunities to small businesses. Once a business is certified in the DBE program businesses are added to a state database managed by the TDOT that is called the Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Listing. Agency officials can then reference this database when seeking out DBE certified businesses.  The DOT has spent over $6 billion on government contracts for the past four years.  The DBE Program proves to be an excellent program for small businesses interested in winning government contracts on a state/federal level.  Businesses must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM) before being awarded government contracts.