Kweisi Mfume: “I thank Chair Roger Williams and Ranking Member Nydia Velazquez for their cooperation in getting this piece of…”

“I thank Chair Roger Williams and Ranking Member Nydia Velazquez for their cooperation in getting this piece of legislation to the floor. This amendment represents, in many respects, the sort of amendments that are bipartisan that have come about under their leadership, first in this Congress and then in the previous Congress when their roles had been reversed. It is a good process to have, and I honestly hope that other committees can follow the example here. The U.S. Federal Government, in case people don't know, is the largest customer in the entire world. The government spends more than $690 billion every year on products and on services and is required by law to have those services meet the application, meet the solicitation, and then be considered properly. The government requires also by law that it gives equal consideration to businesses where applicable. Once an agency has evaluated and assessed their needs, acquisition personnel will post a solicitation on the Federal Government's System for Award Management. It is also commonly known as SAM.gov. That posting then is used to document and to track the eligibility of an individual or an entity to be able to receive Federal funds. Now, winning a contract can secure for a small business tens of thousands of dollars for their products or their services where applicable, which also results, obviously, in huge financial gains, but the problem here is that this is not a simple feat.…”