At the agency level, the heads of procurement departments are responsible  for implementing the small business programs at their agencies, including  achieving program goals. Almost All of the OSDBU Directors Viewed Most Section 15(k) Functions as Duties of Their Offices

Almost all of the 24 OSDBU directors that we surveyed reported that they  viewed most of the functions outlined in section 15(k) of the Small  Business Act as current duties of their offices. At least 19 OSDBU directors,  or almost 80 percent, said that they viewed five of the eight functions  identified in 15(k) as their duties, and a smaller majority (13 to 17) saw the  remaining three functions as their responsibilities (fig. 1). Some directors did not view all of the  functions as their responsibilities, but in follow-up interviews these  directors provided explanations for their responses. The Extent to Which OSDBU Directors Carried Out Some Section 15(k) Functions Varied

We asked OSDBU directors about the extent to which they carried out  several of the section 15(k) functions. Four OSDBU directors (the Department of Education, Army, Navy, and  the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)) indicated that they did not  view facilitating small business participation as subcontractors to  bundled contracts as a duty of their offices. The OSDBU directors at Army and  Navy stated that their roles were primarily developing policy, and that  small business specialists generally carry out this function. Most Directors Saw Outreach to Small Businesses as a Function of Their OSDBU

Nearly all (21) of the OSDBU directors saw hosting conferences for small  businesses as one of their responsibilities, and 20 had hosted such an event  in the last 2 years. However, more than half  viewed three issues—lack of influence in the procurement process, limited  budgetary resources, and lack of adequate staffing—as challenges to at  least some extent. How long have you been Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)? Is conducting meetings with small business trade associations and/or prime contractors currently a role or function of your OSDBU? For example, responsibilities  for monitoring agency processes in areas other than those relating to small business.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Small Business Act is one of several laws designed to enhance the participation of small and disadvantaged businesses in federal procurement--a market that reached more than $200 billion in fiscal year 2002. Section 15(k) of the act requires that all federal agencies with procurement powers establish an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) and specifies eight functions that OSDBU directors are responsible for carrying out in their roles as advocates for small businesses. GAO surveyed OSDBU directors at 24 agencies to obtain information on the extent to which the respondents (1) viewed the functions listed in section 15(k) as functions of their offices, (2) viewed other potential activities as OSDBU duties, and (3) saw potential challenges to carrying out their functions.

What GAO Found

At least 19 OSDBU directors, or almost 80 percent, said that they viewed five of the eight functions identified in section 15(k) as their duties. A smaller majority of OSDBU directors (from 13 to 17) viewed the remaining three functions as responsibilities of their offices. However, the extent to which respondents said they carried out these functions varied. Directors who did not view all of the functions as responsibilities of their offices provided explanations. For example, the OSDBU directors at the Departments of the Army and the Navy explained that their role is one of developing policy for small business programs at their agencies. Most of the OSDBU directors responded that they also viewed functions other than those listed in section 15(k) as their responsibilities. These functions included outreach activities, such as holding meetings and hosting conferences for small businesses and trade associations, and reviewing plans for how prime contractors would use small businesses as subcontractors. A much smaller number of respondents reported that they viewed participating in their agencies' procurement process as one of their duties. While most OSDBU directors reported experiencing few challenges in carrying out their responsibilities, some reported challenges in three areas--lack of influence in the procurement process, limited budgetary resources, and lack of adequate staffing levels.