The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently launched two resources for federal agencies to advance equity in procurement: the Government-wide Procurement Equity Tool (government account required) and the Supplier Base Dashboard. These tools, which launched earlier this spring, help agencies find businesses that are new to the federal marketplace, identify qualified vendors, and track their progress toward equity in procurement goals.
“These two tools are going to help agencies make more connections with the diverse array of businesses offering their products in the federal marketplace. We’re creating a better user experience while helping ensure the government can procure the highest quality goods and services with the best value,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “By providing our federal partners with more information when they make procurement decisions, we’re better able to set ourselves up to achieve our contracting goals and create more equity in the marketplace for everyone.”
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the federal contract spend goal for small disadvantaged businesses has been increased to 15% by 2025. These tools will support achieving that goal by enhancing access to procurement opportunities for:
- Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs)
- Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs),
- Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), and
- Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Businesses
“We’re committed to helping the acquisition workforce strengthen stewardship and efficiency in the federal procurement process while simultaneously advancing equity,” said OMB’s Associate Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Mathew Blum. “We can maximize the power of procurement as a catalyst to help address our nation’s top priorities.”
The two new tools support Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government; Executive Order 14091, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government; OMB Memo M-22-03, Advancing Equity in Federal Procurement; and OMB Memo M-23-11, Creating a More Diverse and Resilient Federal Marketplace through Increased Participation of New and Recent Entrants.
Tool summaries:
- The Government-wide Procurement Equity Tool uses dynamic data from SAM.gov and the Federal Procurement Data System to support market research that focuses on SDBs. Federal customers can use the tool to find SDBs by location, business type, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, and Product Services Code. Agencies can also find potential new entrants such as SDBs that have registered in SAM.gov but have not yet received a federal award. GSA developed the Government-wide Procurement Equity Tool using human-centered design and agile methodology. Based on feedback from users, several enhancements have been added to improve functionality and usability, such as list-based views and more context for data elements.
- The Supplier Base Dashboard tracks the total number of entities that have done business with an agency; their size and socio-economic status; and the number of new, recent, and established vendors in the supplier base and in market categories and subcategories of interest. This helps federal managers grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out by measuring their progress in increasing the number of new entrants to the federal marketplace. It also capitalizes on our nation’s entrepreneurial spirit, which has brought applications for new small businesses in the U.S. to an all-time high.
“Small businesses bring incredible value to GSA by helping us deliver efficiently and effectively for the American people,” said GSA’s Associate Administrator for the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Exodie C. Roe III. “We must continue supporting them by making sure small businesses in underserved and disadvantaged communities can access the opportunities they deserve in federal procurement, and these tools will help make that happen.”
Both tools have user guides and workshops so agencies can learn and share ideas on ways to use them. Federal agencies can provide feedback on the tools through this survey form.
