The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce® (NGLCC) announced its support for a proposed rule to expand federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) in 83 under-represented industries.
In comments submitted to the Small Business Administration (SBA), the NGLCC emphasized that the proposed rule would ensure women-owned, LBT companies have increased opportunities to do business with the federal government.
"This is an opportunity to further increase the representation of women business owners—including lesbian business owners—in the federal government's supply chain, and we applaud the Obama administration for its efforts to see this important step through," said Victoria Fulkerson, director of corporate relations and supplier diversity at the NGLCC. "We encourage our certified suppliers that are women-owned to take advantage of the federal government's newest effort to reach out to women entrepreneurs."
NGLCC also encouraged the SBA to work with organizations such as the NGLCC in order to "reach the full breadth of WOSBs," and stressed the chamber's support of the statutory goal of 5 percent of federal contracting dollars going to WOSBs.
Looking ahead to future opportunities, the NGLCC expressed its hope that all LGBTBEs would one day be included in the SBA's minority-contracting programs.
"Providing greater opportunities for WOSBs to compete for federal contracts will ensure that women-owned lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) business enterprises (LGBTBEs) will enjoy greater opportunities to do business with the federal government," wrote Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of the NGLCC in his letter to the SBA administrator.
The proposed rule is open for public comment until May 3, 2010. The SBA will then review and respond to comments before submitting revisions for interagency review and issuing a final rule.
Currently, the federal government has a 5 percent contracting goal for WOSB. To help address the under-representation of women entrepreneurs in the government marketplace, Congress established the Women's Procurement Program in late 2000.
Yet the SBA has been slow to issue rules implementing the contracting goal. Instead it has studied the participation of these businesses across all industries in order to ensure they are being appropriately considered in the marketplace. In fiscal year 2008, WOSBs were awarded 3.4 percent of federal contracting dollars.
Over the last decade, various draft rules were released for public comment, but not until the Obama administration drafted a new, comprehensive rule, based on the analysis of the prior studies and previously received questions and comments, has action been taken to increase opportunities for WOSBs.
The new rule identifies 83 industries—including the building trades, manufacturing and high-technology production-in which WOSBs are under-represented in the federal supply chain and aims to make more opportunities available for WOSBs in these industries.
Comments on the rule can be posted to www.regulations.gov, or mailed to Dean Koppel, assistant director at the SBA's Office of Policy and Research, at 409 3rd St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20416. The reference RIN 3245-AG06 should be used when submitting comments.
View the full comment submitted by the NGLCC here.
