SBA: Small firms got 96% of PPP loans in 2021

      SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced the closure of the Paycheck Protection Program economic relief loans on June 1. The program distributed $798 billion in loans to businesses for COVID-19 relief.

      The Biden Administration took steps to serve the smallest firms this year, including setting up an exclusive application period for them. As a result, small firms with fewer than 20 employees received 96% of PPP loans issued in 2021, Guzman said in a statement.

      The average PPP loan size in 2021 was $42,000, she said.

HCaTS 8(a) Pool 2 contract open for biz: GSA

      GSA recently announced that the HCaTS 8(a) Pool 2 contract (Human Capital and Training Solutions) is now available for use by federal agency customers. The 26 contracts awarded in Pool 2 supplement the 18 HCaTS 8(a) Pool 1 contracts.

      “These awards provide the 8(a) community expanded access to the HCaTS Best-in-Class contract program while creating more options for Federal Agencies to meet their 8(a) business development program goals,” GSA said on its Interact website.

Read more:
GSA Interact release: https://interact.gsa.gov/node/467487

NCMA has new prez

      Retired Air Force Three-Star General Wendy Masiello is the new president-elect of the National Contract Management Association. She previously served as director of the Defense Contract Management Agency and was deputy assistant secretary for the Air Force acquisition unit.

Read more at:
NCMA press release: https://bit.ly/3pWxTU0

Inside this edition:

Biden seeks boosts to SBA’s GovCon, SBIR, Vets BD & more

Infrastructure plans put focus on DBEs

2nd RFI for Services MAC

GAO pushes more Cat Mgmt, less overlap in PTACs, SBDCs

GSA provides Polaris update

Return-to-work memo issued

CVE transfer logistical gaps

Column: Have You Checked Out the Revamped GSA Schedules Program?

Washington Insider:

Coronavirus Update