This briefing covers active market intelligence, regulatory guidelines, and tactical capture recommendations for federal and defense contractors pursuing opportunities in this procurement classification.
SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING – Pennsylvania will conduct its first disparity study to identify discrimination small diverse businesses face when procuring government contracts.
Businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities and LGBT people qualify as diverse businesses under the state’s standard. Consulting company BBC Research & Consulting out of Denver will conduct the study which should begin sometime soon but has no definitive date, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services said.
Following the study, the state will be able to identify what measures to take to address discrimination found and encourage state government contracting for small diverse businesses.
Kerry L. Kirkland, deputy secretary for diversity, inclusion and small business opportunities, announced the study on Monday.
“This is groundbreaking territory for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Kirkland said. “Now we can look forward to the completion of the disparity study and use it to further our efforts to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the barriers facing our small diverse businesses as it pertains to the state contracting process.”
The disparity study was a recommendation made by Gov. Tom Wolf’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business. Other recommendations made by the council include working to achieve 30 percent participation from small diverse businesses by fiscal year 2019, creating an improved system to monitor performance and outcome data, and setting an annual goal for executive agencies to increase the number of prime contracts given to small and small diverse businesses.
“We need to do a better job when it comes to delivering policies and programs that will enable our small diverse businesses to get a fair shot at doing business with the commonwealth,” Kirkland said.
To conduct the disparity study, the state has granted an initial term contract worth just under $900,000, with 28 percent or about $251,000 committed to contracts with six small or small diverse businesses.
Read more: State to study discrimination in small business contracting
Want the Full Solicitation & Recompete Pipeline on This Topic?
GovPurchase tracks 1.2M+ active and historical records, contracting officers, and expiring awards.