Small Business Administration

  • The Small Business Administration has a problem with its Historically Underutilized Business Zones designation. According to a new GAO report, SBA has no way to inform businesses when they might no longer qualify as a HUBZone. Or when the zone they operate in might not longer be considered a HUBZone. For more on the report, and what SBA can do to improve, Bill Shear, director of Financial Markets and Community Investment Issues at the GAO, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive.

    February 23, 2015
  • He's been the voice for the farmer when EPA regulations call for spilled milk to be treated like an oil spill. Advocacy is about relieving unnecessary burden for small businesses without losing sight of the goal of the regulation. Dr. Winslow Sargeant is chief counsel for advocacy at the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. Today is his last day on the job. Before leaving, he joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to review his time at the agency,

    January 23, 2015
  • A new rule proposed by the Small Business Administration could help small companies team up to go after larger government contracts, says John Shoraka, associate administrator of government contracting and business at SBA.

    January 20, 2015
  • The Small Business Administration is proposing a new rule that it says will help small companies get government contracts. Among the changes is that two or more small firms could bid as a joint venture, while not losing their small-business status. To discuss that and more, John Shoraka, SBA's Associate Administrator of Government Contracting and Business Development, joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive.

    January 20, 2015
  • Gridlock in Washington in recent years has stalled tax bills and other legislation aimed at helping small companies, but such proposals are expected to be on the agenda in the Republican-led Congress.

    January 01, 2015
  • Government contracting can be a very useful tool for enhancing social and economic changes that Congress deems worthy. Contracting veteran Tim Sullivan has authored the blog, "10 Myths of Government Contracting." Sullivan has been exploring these myths on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Today Sullivan tackles the penultimate myth - number 9: Only the big guys succeed. That myth seems easy to debunk given the amount of small business contracting the federal government does ... but not everyone reads past the headline of the big awards.

    December 16, 2014
  • Congress ranks small business right up there with motherhood and apple pie. Small businesses should take advantage of this fact, says contracting expert Tim Sullivan.

    December 16, 2014
  • Jenny Mattingley hosts a roundtable discussion with federal CIOs and CTOs, about how their jobs have changed over the years, and the future opportunities and challenges they see on the horizon. December 5, 2014

    December 05, 2014
  • The Small Business Administration received more than 200 comments about a proposed rule to eliminate the exception to how IT value-added resellers are classified as small contractors. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the Small Business Committee, wrote a letter to SBA asking for the rule to be retracted and improved.

    November 13, 2014
  • The Small Business Administration is reviewing more than 200 comments on a proposed change to part of the size standard for companies that are IT value added resellers. SBA wants to remove an exception to how these IT VARs are classified as small contractors. Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller told In Depth with Francis Rose why some small companies are concerned about the proposal.

    November 12, 2014
  • The Small Business Administration has received more than 200 comments on a proposed change to just one sub set of the size standards for small businesses. The change would apply to information technology companies known as value-added resellers (VARs). Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the proposal and why some small companies are concerned.

    November 12, 2014
  • A big contractor goes to court to challenge the Veterans Affairs Department's plan to limit a solicitation for services to small businesses - and the big guy wins. The details of the case make it one to watch, according to our procurement expert. Attorney Joe Petrillo explained the case of Rotech v. United States on the Federal Drive.

    September 25, 2014
  • Steve VanRoekel isn't the only one leaving the E-Government office.

    September 19, 2014
  • The General Services Administration chose 21 companies for its latest Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative for Office Supplies contract (OS3) -- 20 of which are small businesses. GSA said it expects this newest generation of contracts to build on the savings and success of OS2 and particularly benefit small businesses.

    August 12, 2014