Vet-owned business advocate criticizes VA bill

The House’s attempt to help service-disabled veterans get federal contracts lacks any real influence, a leading veteran business advocate said Aug. 7.

The Improving Veterans’ Opportunities in Education and Business Act (H.R. 6221), passed on Aug. 1, would mandate the Veterans Affairs Department to include provisions in its contracts and agreements with other agencies requiring them to give preference to service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses.

“This is feel-good legislation,” said John Moliere, a service-disabled veteran and president of Standard Communications. The amount of business done through interagency agreements doesn’t add up to much money, he said.

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Lawmaker: Commitment crucial to meeting set-aside goals

What does the Army have that few other agencies have when it comes to veteran-owned small businesses? Commitment, one lawmaker says.

The Army forecasts more than $1.7 billion through fiscal 2013 in potential set-asides exclusively for small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans. That amount comes after the service sent about $691 million in contract dollars last year to those businesses, up from $100 million in 2003, Lt. Col. James Blanco, assistant to the director of the Army’s Small Business Programs Office, said July 26.

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