On January 16, 2013, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report addressing many questions business owners have regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) VetBiz Vendor Information Pages (VIP) Program.
Business owners want figures – how many VA contract dollars go to veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs)? And what are the success rates for verification applications, requests for reconsideration, and re-verification requests?
In terms of contract dollars, the GAO report on VetBiz reported that in 2011, the latest fiscal year for which information is available, 20.5% of VA contract dollars were awarded to VOSBs (including SDVOSBs). The vast majority of this percentage went to SDVOSBs.
The GAO report on VetBiz also provided percentages of businesses successful in verification applications, requests for reconsideration, and re-verification requests. This was based on applications or requests made to, and resolved by, the VA between November 2011 and September 2012.
Of the initial verification applications processed, 61% were verified. As of September 30, 2012, the VA’s database listed 691 pending applications for verification.
Of the requests for reconsideration processed, 48% requests were successful. As of September 30, 2012, the VA’s database listed 165 pending requests for reconsideration from businesses that were denied verification.
Of the re-verification requests processed, 80% were successful. As of September 30, 2012, the VA’s database listed 131 pending reverification requests.
In addition to providing this data, which most businesses will agree is difficult to find, the GAO report on VetBiz scrutinizes the current VetBiz Program procedures. The VetBiz Program, which is new compared with other government certification programs, is still undergoing growing pains. In general, the GAO concluded that while the VA has made advances in improving its timeliness and consistency in verifying contractors’ eligibility, implementing the program government-wide is not yet a viable possibility. The report noted specifically the VA’s difficulty with creating long-term solutions for issues that arise in the VetBiz Program.
The January 16, 2013 GAO report may be accessed at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/651281.pdf. Also, I maintain a frequently-updated webpage on VetBiz verification FAQs, gleaned from my practical experience as a certified VetBiz counselor.
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