Sponsors (8)
The bill would substantially expand contracting opportunities, visibility, and support for veteran-owned small businesses through set‑asides, sole‑source pathways, goals, and tracking, but does so at the cost of higher administrative and compliance burdens, potential reductions in competition (and thus higher procurement costs), and possible displacement of awards from other disadvantaged small-business categories.
Veteran-owned small businesses (including veteran entrepreneurs and small-business owners) will gain substantially increased access to federal contracting through expanded sole-source authority above the simplified acquisition threshold, veteran-only restricted competitions, and explicit section 36B pathways.
A governmentwide goal of at least 5% for prime and subcontract award value combined with improved tracking and agency scorecards will increase transparency and make it easier to identify where agencies are meeting or missing targets for veteran-owned awards.
Integration of veteran-owned firms into Mentor‑Protégé programs and SBA utilization offices will improve access to technical assistance, partnerships, and capacity-building opportunities that help veteran firms compete for larger contracts.
Taxpayers may face higher contract costs because expanded sole‑source authority and increased set‑asides reduce competitive pressure on procurements.
New tracking, reporting, responsibility determinations, and set‑aside processing will increase administrative and compliance burdens for federal agencies, contracting officers, and prime contractors, which can slow procurement and raise overhead costs.
Limiting eligibility to firms that are registered in the referenced database risks excluding otherwise eligible veteran-owned firms that are not yet listed, reducing fairness and access.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Creates a new veteran‑owned small business contracting category with sole‑source and set‑aside authorities, a 5% governmentwide goal, and expanded reporting and cross‑references.
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Randy Fine · Last progress February 12, 2026
Creates a new category of federal contracting preference for small businesses owned and controlled by veterans, giving them special sole‑source and set‑aside authorities above the simplified acquisition threshold, provided price and responsibility rules are met. It also establishes a governmentwide procurement goal of at least 5% for veteran‑owned small businesses and expands procurement reporting and cross‑references across the Small Business Act to track awards, sole‑source use, and subcontracting status.