Small Businesses Can Earn Federal Contracts I am proud to announce that the federal government met its small business federal contracting goal for the first time in eight years. In Fiscal Year 2013, our government awarded 23.39 percent in federal contracts to small businesses. That's $83.1 billion of contracting dollars according to SBA's Small Business Procurement Scorecard. We all know that when small businesses earn federal contracts, it's a 'win-win' for the federal government and for small businesses, the innovative job creators who fuel the nation's economy. One of the first steps in becoming a government contractor is to determine if your small business qualifies for government contracts on SBA.gov. If your small business qualifies, you will need to register your business with the federal government's System of Award Management (SAM), the primary database of vendors doing business with the federal government. The SBA offers many additional support programs for America's small businesses such as: The SBA 8(a) Business Development Program offers an inclusive and broad scope of assistance to firms that are owned and controlled by underserved individuals. This program includes SBA's Mentor-Protégé Program, designed to connect successful firms with 8(a) program participants to establish your small business entrepreneurial success. The ChallengeHer Initiative, a SBA partnership with Women Impacting Public Policy and American Express Open provides women a forum for discussion on federal contracting and connects women-owned businesses to increase their small business network. SBA's SUB-Net is a comprehensive database listing subcontracting opportunities by large prime contractors and other non-federal agencies. You can learn further about small businesses and federal contracting through the SBA classroom. The Government Contracting Classroom can be accessed at www.sba.gov/gcclassroom. The SBA is here to help you, so after exploring the various SBA tools above, make sure you contact your nearest SBA office for additional resources and counseling.
Will the Clean Water Act Changes Impact You? Will the proposed definition of the Scope of Waters Protected under the Clean Water Act impact you? In a previous newsletter, I shared an opportunity to comment on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) proposed rule defining the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA). This proposal would set forth several categories of waters to be included in the definition, as well as establish waters that are subject to the act. Originally, comments were due July 21, 2014. However, the proposed change has generated so much interest, the EPA and the Corps have extended the comment period for the proposed rule. Comments are now due in October. If you have water on your property, or your business process creates drainage, this definition may affect you. Please contact Kia Dennis to learn more about the potential impact of this proposed rule and to share your perspective on the change with the Office of Advocacy. To ensure your voice is heard as this rule is being finalized, the Office encourages you to comment directly to the EPA and Corp. A link is provided below. Submit comments here by October 20, 2014. Advocacy contact: Kia Dennis at 202.205.6936 I hope you have found this information useful. Please feel free to forward this to your friends and colleagues. If you have comments or questions for me, please contact Connie Marshall in my office at connie.marshall@sba.gov. To visit our regional website click this link.
Sincerely,
Calvin
CALVIN W. GOINGS
U.S. Small Business Administration | 
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