Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair for yielding, and I thank our friend from Kentucky for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 789, the Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act.

Small businesses aren't just part of our economy. They are our economy, Mr. Speaker. They are the innovators, the job creators, the backbone of our communities, and the heartbeat of Main Street America.

Far too often, as we have seen, they have been overlooked, underserved, and, frankly, undermined by the very government they pay taxes to support. Federal agencies are simply not doing enough to open the door for small businesses to compete. Mr. Speaker, this must change.

To do that, I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan bill because supporting our small businesses should never be a Republican or Democratic issue. It is an American issue, Mr. Speaker.

Here is what is happening: When a Federal agency determines they have a need for certain products or services, then that agency's acquisition personnel will post a solicitation on the Federal Government's SAM.gov website for a contract to fill the requirements. That solicitation lays out what the agency wants to buy, how it will evaluate the bids, and when responses are due.

In good faith, small businesses dedicate precious time, money, and resources, sometimes thousands of dollars, to just submit these proposals. Too often, they are met with silence, confusion, or outright cancelation of the solicitation without any explanation. That is not just inefficient. That is unfair.

Agencies right now have broad discretion to cancel or amend solicitations without any transparency whatsoever. A small business can go all in on a contract proposal only to watch it vanish like that with no reason given. That is unacceptable.

H.R. 789 brings much-needed transparency and accountability to this process. It requires agencies to disclose why a solicitation was canceled because our small businesses deserve to know. Additionally, our bill requires a Federal agency's Office of Small Business and Disadvantaged Business Utilization to help small businesses find additional opportunities if a solicitation on which they made an offer is canceled so that they can go after these opportunities.

Small businesses create most of the new jobs in this country. In fact, in Missouri's Fourth Congressional District and in rural communities across America, they are the lifeline and fabric of our communities, but time and time again, they are squeezed out by overregulation and ignored by the bureaucracy. They are pushed aside in favor of corporations with high-paid consultants and armies of lobbyists.

That is wrong, and by passing H.R. 789, we take a concrete step toward restoring fairness in Federal contracting and rebuilding the relationship between our government and the small businesses it is supposed to serve.

I thank Congressmen Latimer and Mfume for their partnership on this legislation. I also applaud the Small Business Committee chairman, Roger Williams, for his leadership in putting Main Street America first.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. McGarvey for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the colleagues who have joined me in leading this bill, Congressman Alford of Missouri, Congressman Mfume of Maryland, and Congresswoman Goodlander of New Hampshire. I appreciate the opportunity to work together and to highlight why this important legislation is needed.

Small business owners are often resource constrained. Every day, these individuals play the role of salesman, compliance officer, marketing professional, and more, often juggling a variety of business- related activities to support their business.

When a small business owner submits a proposal to work with the Federal Government, they invest considerable time and resources into making their submission the best it can be. They are also forced to navigate a complex and time-consuming contracting process while balancing their other important responsibilities.

Last year, the Small Business Committee heard testimony from a small business owner who said that solicitation proposals can cost a small business upward 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. Without insight into how the decision was made, it can feel as though their hard work and considerable investment to submit a proposal was made in vain.

If we are serious about bringing more small businesses into Federal contracting, then we must ensure that businessowners have confidence and trust in their Federal partners. This bipartisan bill, the Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act, would improve accountability in the Federal contracting process for small businesses.

The bill would require SBA to issue rules requiring that when an agency cancels a solicitation, they must share a justification for why they are canceling the solicitation and provide information about any plans to reissue it. If an agency does not plan to reissue the solicitation, then the bill would create procedures for a small business to receive assistance in identifying similar contracting opportunities.

This bill passed the Small Business Committee unanimously in March and passed the House by voice vote in the last Congress. It is a bipartisan and commonsense solution to help our small businesses more successfully navigate the Federal contracting process.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues here to support this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representatives Latimer, Alford, and Mfume, for their work on this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, prior to this administration, government contracts provided small businesses with stability and predictability. The government was considered a reliable partner that could be trusted to keep its word and pay its bills.

Yet even before the chaos of the Trump administration, there were times when requirements legitimately changed and something the government intended to buy or do was no longer necessary.

In those previously rare instances, the government then canceled the solicitation. Unfortunately, any small business working on a bid lost all the time and money they had invested in the proposal.

Last year, a small business owner testified that it cost him an average of $10,000 per proposal. If that solicitation was later canceled, the government did not have to provide him with any assistance or even any information.

This bill will change that. While we cannot make small businesses whole, we can make sure they are given additional information and assistance to help them adjust their operations and plans moving forward and hopefully to continue their participation in the Federal market.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Latimer).

Mr. Speaker, in closing, we know that providing a little

more predictability and stability can help reduce the barriers that keep small businesses from bidding on and winning government projects. That is what this bill will do.

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Mr. Latimer and Mr. Alford for their work to bring this to the floor today and to increase transparency and accountability for our small business government contractors. I urge my colleagues to support it, as well, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 789) to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to issue rules for cancelled covered solicitations, to amend the Small Business Act to provide assistance to small business concerns relating to certain cancelled solicitations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of H.R. 789, the Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act, introduced by Representatives Latimer, Alford, and Mfume.

H.R. 789 seeks to bring clarity to small business owners when solicitations for contracts are canceled. Often, small businesses devote a considerable amount of time and resources in preparing these proposals for solicitations.

Unfortunately, these solicitations are often canceled by agencies with no explanation provided to the businesses that have already submitted proposals.

H.R. 789 will require agencies to share with the SBA information as to why the solicitation was canceled. Moreover, this bill requires agencies to assist small businesses impacted by the canceled solicitation by identifying similar contracts to bid on.

Small businesses deserve to have a full understanding of what opportunities are available to them and to know how agencies will fulfill their buying needs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 789, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford).

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.