Casualties among contractors in Iraq have reached record highs this year, according to Labor Department figures.

The New York Times reports at least 146 contract workers were killed in the first three months of the year, by far the highest number for any quarter since the war began. The total number of contractor deaths in four years of war is at least 917, along with 12,000 wounded, the Times reported.

The 144 contractor deaths in the first quarter compared with 244 U.S. military personnel killed in the same period.

The Times said nearly 300 companies from the United States and other nations employ 126,000 workers in Iraq, almost as many as the 150,000 U.S. troops.

The Office of Management and Budget is urging agencies to use performance-based acquisition in 45% of their services during fiscal 2007.

OMB said most agencies exceeded last year’s 40% goal.

In a memo to chief acquisition officers, Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Paul Denett said the 2007 goals for individual agencies will be flexible, as recommended by the Acquisition Advisory Panel in its December report.

However, the Advisory Panel found that many contracts were being reported as “performance-based” when they actually were not.

The Senate Small Business Committee approved legislation expanding SBA loan programs.

The bill, S. 1256, would increase the maximum amount of a loan under the flagship 7(a) program to $3 million, from the current $2 million.

It would authorize SBA to reduce fees on its loans if the agency collects more money than is required to cover the program’s costs. SBA loan programs have operated on a pay-as-you-go fee basis since 2004.

The House passed a similar bill in April.

The House Small Business Committee has approved four bills to overhaul SBA programs:

·  SBA Entrepreneurial Development Programs Act, H.R. 2359, would reorganize the small business development center program.

·  SBA Women’s Business Programs Act, H.R. 2397, sets new funding guidelines for women’s business centers, reserving 40% of federal funding for centers that have been open less than five years.

·  SBA Veterans’ Programs Act, H.R. 2366, authorizes grants to small business development centers to provide services to veterans.

·  Native American Small Business Development Act, H.R. 2284, authorizes grants to SBDCs to provide services to Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.