The bill overwhelmingly passed the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 422 to 0. There has been a trend in federal contracting in which an agency will bundle, or group, contracts into large packages, soliciting bids only on these larger bundles instead of on the individual contracts. These large, bundled contracts are impossible for small business to handle, thereby shrinking the contracting pool to only the big companies. Bundling effectively shuts out qualified, small contractors. We need to make sure that the contracting process is fair and is giving small businesses the opportunity to compete for business.
Small businesses offer good services, which are often more economical.
The Small Business Competition Preservation Act would require the Small Business Administration to maintain a database of bundled contracts, determine how many small businesses are displaced as prime contractors, and analyze bundled contracts to determine whether real savings actually occur. The award is presented to Members of Congress, who have shown strong support for small business. NFIB is the nation's largest small-business advocacy organization.