During a House Small Business Committee markup meeting before the Congressional recess, Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) spoke about a bill that would strengthen technology at the Small Business Administration.
00:00Are there any other members who wish to be recognized for a statement on the bill?
00:05Seeing none, I'd like to recognize the ranking member to speak on the bill.
00:09Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to Representatives Cisnero and Jack for your work on this important bill.
00:17After repeated unsuccessful attempts to develop and deploy a platform that will be a one-stop shop for contracting certifications,
00:28I asked GAO to review SBA efforts and figure out why they failed.
00:36An efficient and fully operational IT platform is critical for the SBA to conduct the certifications that open the door to the federal marketplace for so many small businesses.
00:48While I urge SBA to address the shortcomings GAO identified for the unified certification platform,
00:58I appreciate that today's bill addresses the underlying issue that GAO highlighted.
01:05SBA does not have the processes and procedures in place that should govern any IT modernization project.
01:14Failing to use best practices to manage risk, costs, and security wastes taxpayers' dollars
01:22and puts the information small businesses have provided to SBA at risk.
01:29The SBA IT Modernization Reporting Act will ensure that the SBA addresses the root causes
01:36that lead IT projects to fall behind schedule, increased costs, or outright fail.
01:44Again, I appreciate the leadership of our contracting subcommittee ranking member, Representative Cisnero, to move this bill.
01:54It strikes the right balance of providing SBA with sufficient flexibility to make necessary changes
02:01while holding them accountable through smart congressional oversight.
02:05I urge all my colleagues to support it, and I yield back.
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