Small Business Contracting in the United States and Europe: A Comparative Assessment
Abstract
The United States, the EU, and virtually all European nations undertook solemn commitments to promote small business access to public procurement and R&D programs as part of the 2000 OECD Bologna Charter on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Policies. Notwithstanding these mutual commitments, the Europeans have continued challenging America s Small Business Act of 1953 and the set-asides it authorizes as unfair barriers to trade. Thus far, the United States has resisted the criticism. To put the transatlantic debate over small business contracting into concrete terms, this article compares European and US approaches to small business procurement assistance. Subjects of comparison include approaches to defining a small business concern; creation of small business procurement assistance agencies; availability of suitable contracts through reductions in bundling and consolidation; small business goals and set-asides; contracting with small firms for economic sustainability and remedial purposes; measures to enhance transparency and availability of public procurement information for small firms; small business subcontracting policies; and use of public procurement to stimulate innovation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA556010
Entities
People
- Max Kidalov
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School