SBA expands oversight role
Connecting state and local government leaders
The Small Business Administration now is responsible for certifying businesses as small-disadvantaged, 8(a)-certified or HUBZone-certified.
The Small Business Administration now is responsible for establishing the certification of small businesses as small-disadvantaged, 8(a)-certified or HUBZone-certified.
Previously, small businesses that registered or upgraded their profiles online in the Central Contractor Registry database could indicate their own federal certification status. Effective April 22, SBA designates the specific status of small-business contractors.
This is one of several changes by SBA, the Office of Management and Budget, General Services Administration and Defense Department to expand SBA's oversight over the small-business designation process.
'This upgrade to the CCR database will improve upon the accuracy of the federal government's reporting of small-business achievements and will allow SBA to monitor and confirm the companies' small-business status,' SBA administrator Hector Barreto said in a news release.
The database is an online business portal to help small businesses sell to the federal government and to find partners for contracting opportunities. It's part of the Integrated Acquisition Environment, one of the e-gov initiatives managed by GSA.
In another change designed to strengthen oversight, small businesses filing information in the database will be given a small-business fraud and misrepresentation acknowledgement statement listing the penalties for misrepresentation as a small business.
In addition, the database industry codes have been updated to a 2002 standard, from a 1997 standard.
Although 14 of the 20 industry classification codes remain the same, there are significant changes in coding for Internet publishing and broadcasting, Web hosting, Web design and provision of telecommunications-related consulting services. There also are changes for construction, wholesale trade and retail classifications, and small changes for administrative and support services and mining.
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