The Obama Administration likely has met its 3% goal for purchases from service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs), a senior Small Business Administration executive confirmed.

While it is not official yet, it appears the SDVOSB goal has been met for fiscal 2012, John Shoraka, associate administrator for government contracting and business development, told Set-Aside Alert.

“We are very happy about this,” he said.”There has been a lot of focus on meeting the goal.”

Shoraka credited Marie Johns, deputy administrator for the SBA, who chaired the President’s Interagency Task Force for Veterans Small Business Development, for her efforts in raising veterans’ participation.

In recent weeks, the White House’s Small Business Dashboard online generally has indicated 3% or more for buys from SDVOSBs in fiscal 2012. On April 12, the figure was 3.03%.

If made official, it would be the first time the federal government has reached the 3% level for purchases from service-disabled veterans in at least eight years.

The value of those purchases was $12.3 billion in fiscal 2012, the dashboard said, up from the SBA’s official $11.2 billion in fiscal 2011.

While the SBA will not release official fiscal 2012 goal results until this summer, Shoraka said the figures are not likely to change.

More information: Small Business Dashboard http://goo.gl/9Lc8i