House Committee takes on Contract Bundling
February 17, 2012
Two House Small Business Committee members are now tackling contract bundling in a new bill as a part of a comprehensive contracting-reform plan.
The Contractor Opportunity Protection Act would make it tougher for agencies to bundle contracts. The bill would provide the Small Business Administration and third-party groups with the ability to appeal an agency's decision to bundle several contracts into one. Officials would also have to consider small businesses early on when planning a procurement.
Contract bundling is the practice of packaging many contracts together, essentially making it impossible for small businesses to compete for the work. The bundled contracts can limit competition.