Bill > HR10849

This bill, titled the "Small Business and Defense Industrial Base Support Act," modifies the Procurement Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program—an initiative that helps businesses, particularly small ones, secure and perform government and defense contracts. The legislation updates the program's purpose by specifying that the technical assistance provided must be confidential, ensuring that businesses can seek guidance without fear of sensitive information being publicly exposed. Additionally, to help organizations better navigate the complexities of government contracting, the bill increases the existing funding caps for these cooperative agreements, raising the general limit from $1.5 million to $2 million, the limit for certain smaller or specific awards from $750,000 to $1 million, and another matching tier from $1.5 million to $2 million. Finally, the bill grants the Secretary of Defense the authority to waive or modify these dollar limits on a case-by-case basis if it benefits the program, provided that the Secretary notifies the congressional defense committees within 30 days of making any such adjustment.