The Small Business Administration gave the federal government an overall grade of “B†on its annual scorecard of small-business contracting efforts.
Fiscal year 2010 saw nearly $100 million in federal contracts awarded to small businesses, according to SBA, representing an increase in federal prime contract dollars for the second year in a row.
SBA rated 24 agencies, awarding 13 As, 5 Bs, 4 Cs and 2 Ds in individual scores.
Per a Washington Technology report, the overall score means that the federal government met between 90 percent to 99 percent of its goals for the year.
Along with that goal, though, the feds also showed “strong improvement,†in a number of categories, SBA said, including in the number of contracts awarded to small, women-owned firms
“When the federal government gets contracts into the hands of small businesses, it is a ‘win-win’ situation: small businesses have the opportunity to grow and create jobs and the federal government gets access to some of the most innovative and nimble entrepreneurs,†said SBA Administrator Karen Mills.
SBA praised the White House for its “direct leadership role†as well as federal agencies for working harder to ensure the quality of contracting data.
SBA has also taken to posting information about small business contracts on an online dashboard.
