Sponsors
The bill increases visibility, targeted tracking, and oversight to help veteran-owned firms win more VA contracts, but it limits eligibility, depends on strained VA resources, and expires in 2028—creating trade-offs between near-term access gains and longer-term reach and stability.
Veteran-owned small businesses (and other small firms) gain improved visibility to VA prime contractors and subcontractors, increasing their chances to win prime or subcontract awards.
Veterans with service-connected disabilities will be identified separately in tracking, supporting targeted contracting goals and making it easier for the VA to meet disability-focused procurement objectives.
Large contractors and procurement officials can more easily locate qualified veteran-owned subcontractors, which may expand subcontracting opportunities and improve prime–subcontractor matching.
Excluding firms in mentor‑protégé programs, joint ventures, or those without two satisfactory CPARS prime contracts narrows eligibility and may reduce opportunities for newer or smaller veteran firms.
Requiring implementation using existing VA resources risks limited functionality or slow rollout if staff and systems are already stretched, reducing the database’s usefulness.
A statutory sunset at the end of 2028 creates short-term program uncertainty and may limit long-term benefits unless the authority is renewed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires VA to establish and maintain a database of SBA‑certified veteran‑owned small businesses to support subcontracting plans and small business contracting goals.
Introduced March 4, 2026 by Kimberlyn King-Hinds · Last progress March 4, 2026
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to build and keep a searchable database of SBA‑certified veteran‑owned small businesses (separately listing those with service‑connected disabilities). The database must be available to prime contractors to support small business subcontracting plans, excludes certain mentor‑protégé/joint venture firms and firms without at least two satisfactory past prime contracts, must be implemented using existing VA resources, and sunsets on December 31, 2028. The VA must report to congressional veterans’ committees within 180 days after creating the database with metrics and recommendations on using it to meet small business contracting goals.