Government Dismantles Veterans Small Business Contracting Office
The government has failed to meet this goal and has also failed to develop and support the Veteran’s Advisory Committee, as required by law passed in 1999. in 2005, the federal government awarded just 38 percent of contract dollars to companies owned by service-disabled veterans, costing them nearly $9 billion in lost contracts.
“It is shameful that in a time of war, the Administration saw fit to abandon our commitment to those who have honorably served our country – and the brave men and women serving today who will be the proud veterans of tomorrow. Now, it should be our turn to serve them, by protecting their personal information and by providing them with opportunities to start a business, or rekindle businesses that are struggling from recent deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Kerry.
Joe Wynn, President of the VETs Group and executive member of the Task Force for Veterans Entrepreneurship and Washington DC NABVETS Chapter Commander, said, “Despite the best efforts of the Task Force and other veteran’s groups to work with the SBA to help make the Veterans Procurement Program under PL 108-183 become a success for the government and for the service disabled veteran business owners that it was designed to serve, the SBA continues to demonstrate a seemingly disregard for carrying out the President’s Executive Order, 13-360, which instructed the SBA to provide information, federal procurement training, and assistance to increase participation in federal contracting for service disabled veteran business owners.”
Bob Hesser, also a member of the Task Force for Veterans Entrepreneurship, and President of Vetrepreneur, LLC a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small business said, “During the short time the SBA’s Veteran’s office existed there were meaningful actions that gave us a belief that someone cared. I am just not sure of that today!”
The SBA has also failed to respond to a letter sent on February 27, 2006 from Senator Kerry and Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, regarding their role in implementing the Veteran’s Benefits Act of 2003.
Posted on August 18th, 2007 by jill
Filed under: Employment & Training
