Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026

This Act may be cited as the “Oversight and Transparency for Small Business Certifications Act of 2026”.

Section 10(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 639(c)) is amended to read as follows:

“(c) Certification reports.—

(1) In general.— Along with the submission to Congress of the budget of the President for each fiscal year pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, the Administrator shall submit a report on small business concern participation in a covered contracting program during the year covered by the report that includes the following:

(A) The total number of unique small business concerns certified for participation in a covered contracting program.

(B) With respect to applications of small business concerns for participation in a covered contracting program—

(i) the total number of applications for participation that have sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination, disaggregated by—

(I) the number of applications certified for each covered contracting program; and

(II) the number of applications for which a determination has not been made for any covered contracting program;

(ii) the number of applications for certification for two or more covered contracting programs and the percentage of total applicants that received two or more certifications;

(iii) the number of applications received through the single, unified platform established by the Administrator for receipt of certification applications; and

(iv) the number of small business concerns certified for participation in a covered contracting program for which such certification documentation is contain in a system other than the platform described in clause (iii), disaggregated by covered contracting program.

(C) With respect to applications of small business concerns for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans that have sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination—

(i) the number of applications certified;

(ii) the number of applications denied; and

(iii) the number of applications for which a determination has not been made.

(D) With respect to each application of a small business concern for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, the timeframe between the date of submission of a completed application and the issuance of a certification or recertification determination, disaggregated by—

(i) the number, expressed as a percentage, of certification determinations made within the timeframe established by the Administration;

(ii) the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination; and

(iii) the average time for an applicant that is a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans to receive a recertification determination.

(E) With respect to applications of small business concerns for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by women that have sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination—

(i) the number of applications certified;

(ii) of the applications described in clause (i), the number certified that are eligible for award of a sole source contract under section 8(m)(7);

(iii) the number of applications certified that were processed by a national certifying entity described in section 8(m)(2)(E);

(iv) the number of applications denied; and

(v) the number of applications for which a determination has not been made.

(F) Of the applications described in subparagraph (E)(ii), the number of such applications that initially did not include sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination.

(G) With respect to each application of a small business concern for certification as a small business concern owned and controlled by women, the timeframe between the date of submission of a completed application and the issuance of a certification or recertification determination, disaggregated by—

(i) the number, expressed as a percentage, of certification determinations made within the timeframe established by the Administration;

(ii) the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination;

(iii) the average time for an applicant that is a small business concern owned and controlled by women to receive a recertification determination; and

(iv) the average time for an applicant certified by a national certifying entity to receive a determination from the Administrator, disaggregated by initial certification applications and recertification applications.

(H) With respect to applications of small business concerns for certification as a qualified HUBZone small business concern that have sufficient information for the Administrator to issue a certification determination—

(i) the number of applications certified;

(ii) the number of applications denied; and

(iii) the number of applications for which a determination has not been made.

(I) With respect to each application of a small business concern for certification as a qualified HUBZone small business concern, the timeframe between the date of submission of a completed application and the issuance of a certification or recertification determination, disaggregated by—

(i) the number, expressed as a percentage, of certification determinations made within the timeframe established by the Administration;

(ii) the average time for a first-time applicant to receive a certification determination; and

(iii) the average time for an applicant that is a qualified HUBZone small business concern to receive a recertification determination.

(2) Covered contracting program defined.— In this subsection, the term covered contracting program means contracting assistance provided by the Administrator under following:

(A) Section 8(a).

(B) Section 8(m).

(C) Section 31.

(D) Section 36.”.