OMB starts small-biz regulatory review team

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council has launched a group to focus on small-business issues and coordinate with the Small Business Administration (SBA) on rulemaking, according to a memo from the Office of Management and Budget.The Federal Acquisition Regulation Small Business Team is similar to the five other FAR teams -- Acquisition Strategy, Implementation, Finance, Law and Technology. The new team will focus solely on small-business issues, according to a March 2 memo from Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Paul Denett.The team and SBA will work to identify any regulations that require simultaneous action in the FAR as early as possible in the regulatory process, the memo stated.“This will yield greater consistency and more seamless direction and guidance for the acquisition community,” Denett wrote.The OFPP will determine whether simultaneous action is necessary and will manage the dual publication. The team will review SBA regulations during the FAR rulemaking process, and the team and SBA will pursue concurrent publication of rules, the memo states.Deborah Tronic, senior procurement analyst at the Defense Department, will head the team. Members include small-business experts from DOD, SBA, NASA and the General Services Administration. OFPP’s small-business expert will be an adviser, the memo states.