The federal government sent 22.25 percent of all contracting dollars to small businesses in fiscal 2012, nearing a goal of 23 percent and representing a slight increase from 21.65 percent in 2011, the Small Business Administration has reported.
It said that during the first term of the Obama administration contracting dollars going to small businesses increased $48.1 billion to a total of $376.2 billion even while contacting dollars overall decreased.
The chair of the House Small Business Committee, Sam Graves, R-Mo., however said it was “unacceptable” that the government was unable to achieve the “meager” goal of 23 percent for small business contracting.
He also accused the administration of exaggerating the numbers, considering that small businesses received less than 20 percent of all prime contract dollars last year.
