House bills encourage GSA Multiple Award program use

Two new House bills would officially acknowledge that the General Services Administration’s Multiple Award Schedules program is good for small businesses, an industry expert said today.

The Veteran Small Business Opportunities Act (H.R. 2415) and the Success after Service Act (H.R. 2416), both introduced May 14 by Rep. John Adler (D-N.J.), would require agencies’ contracting officers, specifically the Veterans Affairs Department's officers, to use the schedules contracts to meet their annual veteran small-business contracting goals.

“There’s nothing better for a small business than a schedule contract,” said Larry Allen, president of the Coalition for Government Procurement.

Adler’s intent is to boost the federal money and contracts going to veteran-owned small business and small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.

“Veteran-owned small businesses have an important role to play in our economic recovery, contributing to the nation’s economy each year with new jobs and new ideas,” Adler said.

In the program, GSA establishes long-term governmentwide contracts with commercial firms, and it offers agencies more than 11 million commercial supplies and services.