§ 2323. Contract goal for small disadvantaged businesses and certain institutions of higher education

(a) Goal.—

(1) Except as provided in subsection (d), a goal of 5 percent of the amount described in subsection (b) shall be the objective of the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in each fiscal year for the total combined amount obligated for contracts and subcontracts entered into with—

(A) small business concerns, including mass media and advertising firms, owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (as such term is used in section 8(d) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637 (d)) and regulations issued under that section), the majority of the earnings of which directly accrue to such individuals, and qualified HUBZone small business concerns (as defined in section 3(p) of the Small Business Act);

(B) historically Black colleges and universities, including any nonprofit research institution that was an integral part of such a college or university before November 14, 1986;

(D) Hispanic-serving institutions (as defined in section 502(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a (a))); and

(E) Native Hawaiian-serving institutions and Alaska Native-serving institutions (as defined in section 317 of the Higher Education Act of 1965).

(2) The head of the agency shall establish a specific goal within the overall 5 percent goal for the award of prime contracts and subcontracts to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Native Hawaiian-serving institutions and Alaska Native-serving institutions, and minority institutions in order to increase the participation of such colleges and universities and institutions in the program provided for by this section.

(3) The Federal Acquisition Regulation shall provide procedures or guidelines for contracting officers to set goals which agency prime contractors that are required to submit subcontracting plans under section 8(d)(4)(B) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637 (d)(4)(B)) in furtherance of the agency’s program to meet the 5 percent goal specified in paragraph (1) should meet in awarding subcontracts, including subcontracts to minority-owned media, to entities described in that paragraph.

(b) Amount.—

(1) With respect to the Department of Defense, the requirements of subsection (a) for any fiscal year apply to the combined total of the following amounts:

(A) Funds obligated for contracts entered into with the Department of Defense for such fiscal year for procurement.

(B) Funds obligated for contracts entered into with the Department of Defense for such fiscal year for research, development, test, and evaluation.

(C) Funds obligated for contracts entered into with the Department of Defense for such fiscal year for military construction.

(D) Funds obligated for contracts entered into with the Department of Defense for operation and maintenance.

(2) With respect to the Coast Guard, the requirements of subsection (a) for any fiscal year apply to the total value of all prime contract and subcontract awards entered into by the Coast Guard for such fiscal year.

(3) With respect to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the requirements of subsection (a) for any fiscal year apply to the total value of all prime contract and subcontract awards entered into by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for such fiscal year.

(1) To attain the goal specified in subsection (a)(1), the head of an agency shall provide technical assistance to the entities referred to in that subsection and, in the case of historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Native Hawaiian-serving institutions and Alaska Native-serving institutions, and minority institutions, shall also provide infrastructure assistance.

(2) Technical assistance provided under this section shall include information about the program, advice about agency procurement procedures, instruction in preparation of proposals, and other such assistance as the head of the agency considers appropriate. If the resources of the agency are inadequate to provide such assistance, the head of the agency may enter into contracts with minority private sector entities with experience and expertise in the design, development, and delivery of technical assistance services to eligible individuals, business firms and institutions, acquisition agencies, and prime contractors. Agency contracts with such entities shall be awarded annually, based upon, among other things, the number of minority small business concerns, historically Black colleges and universities, and minority institutions that each such entity brings into the program.

(3) Infrastructure assistance provided by the Department of Defense under this section to historically Black colleges and universities, to Hispanic-serving institutions, to Native Hawaiian-serving institutions and Alaska Native-serving institutions, and to minority institutions may include programs to do the following:

(A) Establish and enhance undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in scientific disciplines critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.

(B) Make Department of Defense personnel available to advise and assist faculty at such colleges and universities in the performance of defense research and in scientific disciplines critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.

(C) Establish partnerships between defense laboratories and historically Black colleges and universities and minority institutions for the purpose of training students in scientific disciplines critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.

(D) Award scholarships, fellowships, and the establishment of cooperative work-education programs in scientific disciplines critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.

(E) Attract and retain faculty involved in scientific disciplines critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.

(F) Equip and renovate laboratories for the performance of defense research.

(G) Expand and equip Reserve Officer Training Corps activities devoted to scientific disciplines critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.

(H) Provide other assistance as the Secretary determines appropriate to strengthen scientific disciplines critical to the national security functions of the Department of Defense or the college infrastructure to support the performance of defense research.

(4) The head of the agency shall, to the maximum extent practical, carry out programs under this section at colleges, universities, and institutions that agree to bear a substantial portion of the cost associated with the programs.

(d) Applicability.— Subsection (a) does not apply to the Department of Defense—

(1) to the extent to which the Secretary of Defense determines that compelling national security considerations require otherwise; and

(2) if the Secretary notifies Congress of such determination and the reasons for such determination.

(e) Competitive Procedures and Advance Payments.— To attain the goal of subsection (a):

(1)

(A) The head of the agency shall—

(i) ensure that substantial progress is made in increasing awards of agency contracts to entities described in subsection (a)(1);

(ii) exercise his utmost authority, resourcefulness, and diligence;

(iii) in the case of the Department of Defense, actively monitor and assess the progress of the military departments, Defense Agencies, and prime contractors of the Department of Defense in attaining such goal; and

(iv) in the case of the Coast Guard and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, actively monitor and assess the progress of the prime contractors of the agency in attaining such goal.

(B) In making the assessment under clauses (iii) and (iv) of subparagraph (A), the head of the agency shall evaluate the extent to which use of the authority provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) and compliance with the requirement in paragraph (4) is effective for facilitating the attainment of the goal.

(2) To the extent practicable and when necessary to facilitate achievement of the 5 percent goal described in subsection (a), the head of an agency shall make advance payments under section 2307 of this title to contractors described in subsection (a). The Federal Acquisition Regulation shall provide guidance to contracting officers for making advance payments to entities described in subsection (a)(1) under such section.

(3)

(A) To the extent practicable and when necessary to facilitate achievement of the 5 percent goal described in subsection (a), the head of an agency may, except as provided in subparagraph (B), enter into contracts using less than full and open competitive procedures (including awards under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act) and partial set asides for entities described in subsection (a)(1), but shall pay a price not exceeding fair market cost by more than 10 percent in payment per contract to contractors or subcontractors described in subsection (a). The head of an agency shall adjust the percentage specified in the preceding sentence for any industry category if available information clearly indicates that nondisadvantaged small business concerns in such industry category are generally being denied a reasonable opportunity to compete for contracts because of the use of that percentage in the application of this paragraph.

(B)

(i) The Secretary of Defense may not exercise the authority under subparagraph (A) to enter into a contract for a price exceeding fair market cost if the regulations implementing that authority are suspended under clause (ii) with respect to that contract.

(ii) At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall determine, on the basis of the most recent data, whether the Department of Defense achieved the 5 percent goal described in subsection (a) during the fiscal year to which the data relates. Upon determining that the Department achieved the goal for the fiscal year to which the data relates, the Secretary shall issue a suspension, in writing, of the regulations that implement the authority under subparagraph (A). Such a suspension shall be in effect for the one-year period beginning 30 days after the date on which the suspension is issued and shall apply with respect to contracts awarded pursuant to solicitations issued during that period.

(iii) For purposes of clause (ii), the term “most recent data” means data relating to the most recent fiscal year for which data are available.

(4) To the extent practicable, the head of an agency shall maximize the number of minority small business concerns, historically Black colleges and universities, and minority institutions participating in the program.

(5) Each head of an agency shall prescribe regulations which provide for the following:

(A) Procedures or guidance for contracting officers to provide incentives for prime contractors referred to in subsection (a)(3) to increase subcontractor awards to entities described in subsection (a)(1).

(B) A requirement that contracting officers emphasize the award of contracts to entities described in subsection (a)(1) in all industry categories, including those categories in which such entities have not traditionally dominated.

(i) The program implementing this section.

(ii) The program established under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637 (a)).

(iii) The small business set-aside program established under section 15(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644 (a)).

(D) With respect to an agency procurement which is reasonably likely to be set aside for entities described in subsection (a)(1), a requirement that (to the maximum extent practicable) the procurement be designated as such a set-aside before the solicitation for the procurement is issued.

(E) Policies and procedures which, to the maximum extent practicable, will ensure that current levels in the number or dollar value of contracts awarded under the program established under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637 (a)) and under the small business set-aside program established under section 15(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644 (a)) are maintained and that every effort is made to provide new opportunities for contract awards to eligible entities, in order to meet the goal of subsection (a).

(F) Implementation of this section in a manner which will not alter the procurement process under the program established under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637 (a)).

(G) A requirement that one factor used in evaluating the performance of a contracting officer be the ability of the officer to increase contract awards to entities described in subsection (a)(1).

(H) Increased technical assistance to entities described in subsection (a)(1).

(f) Penalties and Regulations Relating to Status.—

(1) Whoever for the purpose of securing a contract or subcontract under subsection (a) misrepresents the status of any concern or person as a small business concern owned and controlled by a minority (as described in subsection (a)) or as a qualified HUBZone small business concern (as defined in section 3(p) of the Small Business Act), shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year, or a fine under title 18, or both.

(2) The Federal Acquisition Regulation shall prohibit awarding a contract under this section to an entity described in subsection (a)(1) unless the entity agrees to comply with the requirements of section 15(o)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644 (o)(1)).

(g) Industry Categories.—

(1) To the maximum extent practicable, the head of the agency shall—

(A) ensure that no particular industry category bears a disproportionate share of the contracts awarded to attain the goal established by subsection (a); and

(B) ensure that contracts awarded to attain the goal established by subsection (a) are made across the broadest possible range of industry categories.

(2) Under procedures prescribed by the head of the agency, a person may request the Secretary to determine whether the use of small disadvantaged business set asides by a contracting activity of the agency has caused a particular industry category to bear a disproportionate share of the contracts awarded to attain the goal established for that contracting activity for the purposes of this section. Upon making a determination that a particular industry category is bearing a disproportionate share, the head of the agency shall take appropriate actions to limit the contracting activity’s use of set asides in awarding contracts in that particular industry category.

(h) Compliance With Subcontracting Plan Requirements.—

(1) The Federal Acquisition Regulation shall contain regulations to ensure that potential contractors submitting sealed bids or competitive proposals to the agency for procurement contracts to be awarded under the program provided for by this section are complying with applicable subcontracting plan requirements of section 8(d) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637 (d)).

(2) The regulations required by paragraph (1) shall ensure that, with respect to a sealed bid or competitive proposal for which the bidder or offeror is required to negotiate or submit a subcontracting plan under section 8(d) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637 (d)), the subcontracting plan shall be a factor in evaluating the bid or proposal.

(i) Annual Report.—

(1) Not later than December 15 of each year, the head of the agency shall submit to Congress a report on the progress of the agency toward attaining the goal of subsection (a) during the preceding fiscal year.

(2) The report required under paragraph (1) shall include the following:

(A) A full explanation of any progress toward attaining the goal of subsection (a).

(B) A plan to achieve the goal, if necessary.

(j) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) The term “agency” means the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

(2) The term “head of an agency” means the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

(k) Effective Date.—

(1) This section applies in the Department of Defense to each of fiscal years 1987 through 2009.

(2) This section applies in the Coast Guard and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in each of fiscal years 1995 through 2009.

U.S. Code

§ 2323. Contract goal for small disadvantaged businesses and certain institutions of higher education