H.R. 789: Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act

This bill, titled the Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act, aims to enhance the transparency around the cancellation of solicitation requests by federal agencies that are intended for small businesses. The key provisions of the bill include the following:

Rules for Cancelled Solicitations

The Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) is required to issue rules within 180 days after the bill's enactment. These rules will specifically address cancelled "covered solicitations." A covered solicitation refers to requests for bids that were open to at least two small business concerns.

• Disclosure Requirements: The SBA must require information to be disclosed when a covered solicitation is cancelled, which includes:
• A justification for the cancellation.
• Information on whether there are plans to reissue the solicitation, including expected timelines.
• Details on whether the requirements of the cancelled solicitation might be included in other contracts or task orders by the federal agency.
• Referral Procedures: If a federal agency does not plan to reissue a cancelled solicitation, there will be established procedures to refer businesses that submitted bids to the Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. This director will help identify equivalent contracting opportunities for those businesses.

Public Access to Information

The information disclosed regarding cancelled solicitations must be made publicly accessible on a single government-wide portal as specified in existing laws.

Duties of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Directors

The bill amends the responsibilities of the Directors of Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. In addition to their current duties, these directors will assist small businesses that notify them about a cancelled solicitation for which they had prepared a bid. This includes helping businesses find similar contracting opportunities when a federal agency does not intend to reissue the cancelled solicitation.

Funding Limits

The bill does not authorize any additional federal funding to implement its provisions or the amendments it makes to the existing Small Business Act.

Relevant Companies

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