Braley’s bill gives small businesses an edge

Font Size:

By Ed Tibbetts | Saturday, May 12, 2007 12:45 AM CDT | () comments

The U.S. House has passed a bill to make it harder for government agencies to bundle contracts, a measure proponents say will make it easier for small businesses to bid for work.

The bill was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa. It’s his first bill to be passed by the House, which acted on the measure Thursday.

“I’m proud that my first bill to pass in the House is one that will help small businesses compete,” Braley said. “When government contracts are awarded through huge super-contracts, small businesses just can’t compete on a level playing field.”

The bill also makes it a goal that 30 percent of contracting dollars go to small businesses. Currently, the goal is 23 percent.

The White House opposes the legislation.

In a statement last week, the Bush administration said the

30 percent goal is “unrealistic” and that it could undermine the effort to help small businesses get more contracts. It also complained the definition of bundling is “overly expansive.”

The bill passed the House on a 409-13 vote.

The Senate has not acted on it yet.

Braley’s initial proposal was altered by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which backed off the 30 percent goal, setting the amount at 25 percent.

It also changed other elements of the bill before it reached the floor.

U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill., sponsored an amendment Thursday to restore the original small business goal to 30 percent, which passed by a 371 to

55 vote.

Small business owners who have worked with the Rock Island Arsenal say the bill will help by making them more competitive with large defense contractors.

Arsenal agencies such as the Army Sustainment Command, Joint Munitions Command and TACOM award billions of dollars in contracts every year.

Sam Kupresin, the president of Spirit Partners Inc., a Quad-City consulting firm, said bundling results in large firms getting government bids and that subcontracting work with those firms is hard to come by because they often shut out businesses they aren’t familiar with.

“They’ve got their list they like to go to, and it’s hard to break through that,” Kupresin said.

Braley’s office says there are 477 small businesses registered with the federal Small Business Administration in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.