Skip to main content

Small Business Program: Efforts to Increase Participation in State Department Contracts

NSIAD-92-130 Published: Mar 19, 1992. Publicly Released: Apr 21, 1992.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the State Department's program to promote the participation of small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned businesses in its contracts.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should direct the Bureau of Administration to develop a plan to promote participation by small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned U.S. businesses in overseas procurements.
Closed – Implemented
An action plan was initiated in August 1992. To heighten awareness of their programs, the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization briefed GSO at the Foreign Service Institute, cabled all posts on U.S. policy concerning the use of U.S. small business overseas, and started a pilot program at regional procurement support offices to increase the use of U.S. small business.
Department of State The Secretary of State should direct the Bureau of Administration to prepare written descriptions identifying the roles and responsibilities of the major procurement units under the small business program.
Closed – Implemented
The October 1992 revision to 1FAM subchapter 540 incorporated language concerning the department's Small and Disadvantaged Business Program. The department's handbook, Doing Business With the Department of State, was revised in March 1993 to include information on the program.
Department of State The Secretary of State should direct the Bureau of Administration to automate records maintained by the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization on target businesses.
Closed – Implemented
Funds were made available to the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization to automate its records. A contractor modified and installed an existing software package and submitted the final version to the User Manual. The office is now working with the National Technical Information Service to execute an interagency agreement to distribute diskettes to constituent small businesses.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Disadvantaged personsFederal procurementInformation systemsMinority business assistanceMinority business contractsSmall business assistanceSmall business contractsWomen-owned businessesSmall businessProcurement