Veterans Affairs and OB10

Business.gov www.business.gov is an official site of the U.S. government. This site contains vital information needed to start or run a business that is so critical for small business owners. This site also provides information on federal, state and local issues, as well as the opportunity to network with other small business owners.

The General Services Administration is budgeted to spend over $5 billion on construction this fiscal year. For more information, browse Frequently Asked Questions and obtain a schedule on the www.gsa.gov website. On May 20th, federal agencies will begin reporting their competitive grants and contracts to Congress. NACM-GBG will offer details on these reports in the July issue of this newsletter.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center (VAFSC) has contracted with OB10, a provider of global e-invoicing, and A&T Systems, a provider of technology and other solutions, to allow VA suppliers to submit invoices electronically, meeting the "paperless" guidelines set by Congress. OB10 provides instant invoice delivery, which will help the VAFSC comply with the Prompt Payment Act. OB10 is unique because it allows members to submit invoices in any electronic format, including those generated by QuickBooks. VAFSC has been working on this program with OB10 since 2007 to make sure that VA contractors have an efficient, secure way to send invoices electronically. This network also provides data mapping and translation services, and presents invoices in the desired VAFSC format.

To learn more, GBG will be offering an OB10 audio teleconference:

Date:	Monday, July 27, 2009
Time:	3:00 – 4:00pm EST
Cost:	$39.95 for GBG members;
	$49.95 for non-GBG members
	*per phone line

Click here to register now.

SBA Still Falling Short of Goal

Small businesses are a major sector of the nation's economy. In 2007, 24 federal agencies fell just 1% short of the 23% goal set by Congress to award contracts to small businesses, with 17 of the 24 agencies meeting or exceeding the goal. Contracts to small, disadvantaged businesses also managed to exceed the goal, whereas, contracts to service-disabled veterans, women and HUB zone businesses failed to do so. In 2007, small businesses were awarded $83.2 billion in federal contracts. In 2008, that number rose to $84.5 billion.

According to an SBA news release in October 2008, the following 17 agencies met the SBA 2007 goals: Department of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Personnel Management and Small Business Administration.

The Department of Defense (the largest federal agency) only met one of the five goals set by the SBA. NACM-GBG will be working for its membership in the hopes of getting all 24 federal agencies to meet federal small business contract goals.