Committee Passes Bipartisan Olszewski- Wied Bill to Streamline Contracting Process for Small Businesses

(WASHINGTON, DC) - The U.S. House of Representatives' Small Business Committee today voted to advance bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressmen Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) and Tony Wied (R-WI) to help small businesses - including those owned by women, veterans, and entrepreneurs in economically disadvantaged communities - compete more effectively for federal government contracts. The Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026 would streamline the Small Business Administration's (SBA) certification process for businesses seeking eligibility to compete for federal projects.

Currently, small businesses must obtain SBA certification through a fragmented and inconsistent system that has created significant backlogs and delays. For example, in 2023, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses seeking SBA certification were supported by 20 dedicated SBA staff and 54 contractors, resulting in application processing times of approximately three weeks. By contrast, applicants in the Women-Owned Small Business program were served by just eight SBA staff and two contractors, leading to a backlog of roughly 7,000 applications and average wait times approaching one year.

The legislation requires the SBA to provide greater transparency in its budget justification documents regarding certification processes, infrastructure, and processing timelines. The bill would also require additional reporting on program participation, application backlogs, and wait times for small business applicants.

"I'm proud to help lead this bipartisan bill because I believe we can and should always work harder to ensure federal programs work efficiently for the American people," said Congressman Olszewski. "This legislation will strengthen our efforts to level the playing field for small businesses who want to compete in the federal marketplace while enabling the federal government to recruit and retain high-quality business partners."

"Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy, and every entrepreneur deserves to have the opportunity to compete and succeed," said Congressman Wied (WI-08). "This commonsense legislation would improve transparency in the SBA's contracting process, to create a fairer, more efficient system that roots out fraud and provides the type of accountability that hardworking small business owners deserve."

The reporting requirements established by the legislation would apply to three SBA certification programs: the Women-Owned Small Business Program, the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program, and the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program.

The bill now advances for consideration by the full House of Representatives.