Contracting Rule Prompts Universal ‘Boo’s
Jan 7th, 2008 | By Dawn R. Rivers | Category: RegulationsIt has been almost seven long years but the SBA has finally published a set of proposed rules to implement the Women’s Procurement Program that has been a bone of contention for six of them. Unfortunately, the SBA studied the RAND Corporation’s research and came to the conclusion that there were only four relatively obscure industries in which women owned businesses had suffered from chronic and historic underrepresentation in federal contracting. Needless to say, women’s groups are furious — Women Impacting Public Policy’s Barbara Kasoff said the SBA was offering women business owners a “lump of coal” over the holiday season and U.S. Women’s Chamber president Margot Dorfmann said the proposed rule “clearly continues the dark legacy of the SBA.” Both House and Senate Small Business Committee Chairs — Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and John Kerry (D-MA), respectively — are equally unhappy and announced plans to hold hearings this month. This one remains far from over.
