The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act will require the GAO to issue a report about the number and types of contracts the Department of Defense awarded to minority-owned and women-owned businesses during fiscal years 2010 to 2015.

If the 2017 NDAA is signed into law, the GAO would be required to submit its report within one year of the statute’s enactment.

The 2017 NDAA requires the GAO to identify minority-owned and women-owned businesses using the categories identified in the Federal Procurement Database System. While this study will not look exclusively at minority-owned and women-owned small businesses, it is worth noting that the Small Business Act establishes a goal that federal executive agencies, including the DoD, award 5 percent of the total value of its prime contracts to women-owned small business, and 5 percent to Small Disadvantaged Businesses, which include many minority-owned firms. The results of GAO’s study under the 2017 NDAA may have the potential of impacting these set-aside goals as well.

If the President signs the NDAA in the coming weeks, the GAO’s report may be issued around this time next year. It will be interesting to see what changes, if any, await minority-owned and women-owned businesses based on the GAO’s findings.

2017 NDAA: The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 has been approved by both House and Senate, and will likely be signed into law soon. It includes some massive changes as well as some small but nevertheless significant tweaks sure to impact Federal procurements in the coming year. For the next few days, SmallGovCon will delve into the minutia to provide context and analysis so that you do not have to. Visit smallgovcon.com for the latest on the government contracting provisions of the 2017 NDAA.