Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026 in plain language
1: Short title
This section would let the Act be referred to as the Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026 .
2: Report on small business concern participation in a covered contracting programs
This section would replace section 10(c) of the Small Business Act with a new certification reporting requirement. It would require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to submit a report to Congress each year, along with the President's annual budget submission, on small business concern participation in a covered contracting program during the year covered by the report.
The report would have to include the total number of unique small business concerns certified for participation in a covered contracting program.
On applications for participation in a covered contracting program, the report would have to include: the total number of applications with enough information for the Administrator to make a certification determination, broken down by the number certified for each covered contracting program and the number for which no determination has been made for any covered contracting program; the number of applications for certification in two or more covered contracting programs, and the percentage of all applicants that received two or more certifications; the number of applications received through the single, unified platform the Administrator has established for certification applications; and the number of small business concerns certified for participation in a covered contracting program whose certification documentation is kept in a system other than that unified platform, broken down by covered contracting program.
On applications for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans that have enough information for a determination, the report would have to include the number certified, the number denied, and the number for which no determination has been made. For each such application for certification or recertification, the report would have to include the timeframe between submission of a completed application and the certification or recertification decision, broken down by: the percentage of determinations made within the timeframe the Administration has established; the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination; and the average time for a service-disabled-veteran-owned small business concern to receive a recertification determination.
On applications for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by women that have enough information for a determination, the report would have to include: the number certified; of those certified, the number eligible for award of a sole source contract under section 8(m)(7); the number certified that were processed by a national certifying entity described in section 8(m)(2)(E); the number denied; and the number for which no determination has been made. Of the applications certified and eligible for a sole source contract award under section 8(m)(7), the report would have to state how many initially did not include enough information for the Administrator to make a certification determination. For each application for certification or recertification as a women-owned small business concern, the report would have to include the timeframe between submission of a completed application and the certification or recertification decision, broken down by: the percentage of determinations made within the timeframe the Administration has established; the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination; the average time for a women-owned small business concern to receive a recertification determination; and the average time for an applicant certified by a national certifying entity to receive a determination from the Administrator, broken down separately for initial certification applications and recertification applications.
On applications for certification as a qualified HUBZone small business concern that have enough information for a determination, the report would have to include the number certified, the number denied, and the number for which no determination has been made. For each such application for certification or recertification, the report would have to include the timeframe between submission of a completed application and the decision, broken down by: the percentage of determinations made within the timeframe the Administration has established; the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination; and the average time for a qualified HUBZone small business concern to receive a recertification determination.
The section would define a covered contracting program as contracting assistance the Administrator provides under section 8(a), section 8(m), section 31, or section 36 of the Small Business Act.
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2. Report on small business concern participation in a covered contracting programs Section 10(c) of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 639(c) ) is amended to read as follows: (c) Certification reports (1) In general Along with the submission to Congress of the budget of the President for each fiscal year pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, the Administrator shall submit a report on small business concern participation in a covered contracting program during the year covered by the report that includes the following: (A) The total number of unique small business concerns certified for participation in a covered contracting program. (B) With respect to applications of small business concerns for participation in a covered contracting program— (i) the total number of applications for participation that have sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination, disaggregated by— (I) the number of applications certified for each covered contracting program; and (II) the number of applications for which a determination has not been made for any covered contracting program; (ii) the number of applications for certification for two or more covered contracting programs and the percentage of total applicants that received two or more certifications; (iii) the number of applications received through the single, unified platform established by the Administrator for receipt of certification applications; and (iv) the number of small business concerns certified for participation in a covered contracting program for which such certification documentation is contain in a system other than the platform described in clause (iii), disaggregated by covered contracting program. (C) With respect to applications of small business concerns for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans that have sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination— (i) the number of applications certified; (ii) the number of applications denied; and (iii) the number of applications for which a determination has not been made. (D) With respect to each application of a small business concern for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, the timeframe between the date of submission of a completed application and the issuance of a certification or recertification determination, disaggregated by— (i) the number, expressed as a percentage, of certification determinations made within the timeframe established by the Administration; (ii) the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination; and (iii) the average time for an applicant that is a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans to receive a recertification determination. (E) With respect to applications of small business concerns for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by women that have sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination— (i) the number of applications certified; (ii) of the applications described in clause (i), the number certified that are eligible for award of a sole source contract under section 8(m)(7); (iii) the number of applications certified that were processed by a national certifying entity described in section 8(m)(2)(E); (iv) the number of applications denied; and (v) the number of applications for which a determination has not been made. (F) Of the applications described in subparagraph (E)(ii), the number of such applications that initially did not include sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination. (G) With respect to each application of a small business concern for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by women, the timeframe between the date of submission of a completed application and the issuance of a certification or recertification determination, disaggregated by— (i) the number, expressed as a percentage, of certification determinations made within the timeframe established by the Administration; (ii) the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination; (iii) the average time for an applicant that is a small business concern owned and controlled by women to receive a recertification determination; and (iv) the average time for an applicant certified by a national certifying entity to receive a determination from the Administrator, disaggregated by initial certification applications and recertification applications. (H) With respect to applications of small business concerns for certification as a qualified HUBZone small business concern that have sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination— (i) the number of applications certified; (ii) the number of applications denied; and (iii) the number of applications for which a determination has not been made. (I) With respect to each application of a small business concern for certification as a qualified HUBZone small business concern, the timeframe between the date of submission of a completed application and the issuance of a certification or recertification determination, disaggregated by— (i) the number, expressed as a percentage, of certification determinations made within the timeframe established by the Administration; (ii) the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination; and (iii) the average time for an applicant that is a qualified HUBZone small business concern to receive a recertification determination. (2) Covered contracting program defined In this subsection, the term covered contracting program means contracting assistance provided by the Administrator under following: (A) Section 8(a). (B) Section 8(m). (C) Section 31. (D) Section 36. .