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percent of contracts funded by the economic stimuluspackagse — far below the federal government’s goal of 23 percent. “This is simply unacceptable,” said Sen. Olympia R-Maine, at a May 21 hearing on opportunities for small businesses to win contractes funded bythe $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. the ranking Republican on the Senate Small Business andEntrepreneurship Committee, said there is still time for smalkl businesses to win their fair shars of stimulus work since many contracts fundedf by the law have not been awarded yet. “But I must I’m not encouraged by the results so Snowe said. Committee Chair Mary Landrieu, D-La.
, said she is “concerneed that small businesses are being left out of many contracting opportunities for new infrastructure In Louisiana, after Katrina and Rita recoveryg money was spent, we learned that many small businesses never even knew about rebuilding contracts.” Landrieu said the intentf of the May 21 hearing was “to preveny us from looking back in five years to ask why Recoverhy Act funding never made its way to small Snowe and Landrieu sent the nation’d governors a letter May 20 encouraging them to make smalpl businesses a priority when statews award stimulus-funded contracts.
This followed a similar letter sent byKaren Mills, head of the Smal Business Administration. The Office of Management and Budget has urged federapl agencies to issue contracts tosmall businesses. Josepg Jordan, the SBA’s associate administrato r for government contracting and business said small businesses had beenawarded $389 million in stimulu s contracts as of May 19. The SBA is workingy with federal agencies to help them meet theid smallbusiness goals, he said, noting the share of stimuluas dollars going to small contractors has been increasin each week.
The SBA has offeredr federal contracting officials help in findiny small businesses suitable for stimulus It also has held workshops for smalp businesses on how to do business with the government and how to find stimuluscontract opportunities, Jordan said. Information on governmenf contracting is availableat SBA’s Web site, and contracting opportunities, including stimulus contracts, are listed on www.fedbizopps.gov. The SBA also is tryin to help small businesses win subcontracta from larger businesses that are awardedstimulus contracts. It has launches a Web site — www.sba.
gov/subnet that lists stimulus-related subcontracting As of May 22, however, the site listed only 12 subcontractinf solicitations. Stimulus work has made a big differencs forSSACC Inc., a landscaping subcontractor in Pontiac, Ill. Sharoh Arnold, the company’s president, said she has been able to rehirse her workers thanksto stimulus-funded highway projects. In December, she had to lay everyone off. “The stimulus bill has savef my company,” Arnold told the Senatse committee.
Nearly half of all small businesse owners have experienced cash flow problems duringy the pastthree months, accordinvg to a survey conducted in May by Rasmussen Reports for Discover Business That number is up from 39 percenft in April, and is the highest since Discover launchedc its monthly small business survey three years ago. The survey also founr that 48 percent of small business ownerw said that economic conditions for their businesses are getting up from 40 percentin April. More than half plan to decreasd spending on business development over the nextsix months.
This includeas advertising, inventory and capital The recession also is affecting smallbusines owners’ vacation plans: 56 percentr said they have postponed or canceled time off this summer due to the poor Only 29 percent said they have take n a vacation of one week or longer in the past
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