To require plain language and the inclusion of key words in covered notices that are clear, concise, and accessible to small business concerns, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Plain Language in Contracting Act requires each covered notice about small business concerns posted on the single government-wide contract-opportunity entry point to be written so a small business concern can easily understand the notice's intent. Notices must be clear, concise, well-organized, and, where practicable, follow plain-language best practices for the field and the intended audience. The notice description must include keywords so small businesses searching the federal procurement portal can identify and understand relevant opportunities. The Small Business Administration must issue implementing rules within 90 days. The bill authorizes no additional appropriations, so agencies must carry out the requirements with existing funds.
Who Benefits and How
Small business concerns, first-time federal contractors, small disadvantaged businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, women-owned small businesses, and procurement advisers benefit because clearer language and searchable keywords lower the information barrier to finding and interpreting federal contracting notices. Contracting-opportunity platform users benefit when notices are organized around terms small businesses actually search for.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal contracting officers, federal agency procurement offices, SBA rulemaking staff, contracting-platform administrators, and agency small-business specialists bear implementation work because they must rewrite covered notices, choose useful keywords, conform postings to SBA rules, and do so without new appropriations.
Key Provisions
- Requires covered federal small-business contracting notices to be clear, concise, accessible, and well-organized.
- Requires covered notice descriptions to include searchable keywords for the government-wide contract-opportunity portal.
- Directs the Small Business Administration Administrator to issue implementing rules within 90 days.
- Defines covered notice by reference to notices about small business concerns posted by federal agencies.
- Bars new appropriations for carrying out the Act.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires federal small-business contracting notices to be clear, concise, well-organized, and searchable by relevant keywords, directs SBA to issue implementing rules within 90 days, and authorizes no new appropriations.
Key Policy Areas
Small Business, Government Procurement, Federal Contracting
Primary Purpose
Requires federal small-business contracting notices to be clear, concise, well-organized, and searchable by relevant keywords, directs SBA to issue implementing rules within 90 days, and authorizes no new appropriations.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Small business concerns
- First-time federal contractors
- Small disadvantaged businesses
- Veteran-owned small businesses
- Women-owned small businesses
- Procurement advisers
- Contracting-opportunity platform users
Identified Costs
- Federal contracting officers
- Federal agency procurement offices
- SBA rulemaking staff
- Contracting-platform administrators
- Agency small-business specialists
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed HouseReceived; read twice and referred to the Committee on Small …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Additional sponsor: Ms. Goodlander
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the …
Mr. LaLota (for himself, Mr. Tran, and Mr. Thanedar) introduced …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Contracting-platform administrators, Federal agency procurement offices, Federal contracting officers
First-time federal contractors, Small business concerns, Small business owners seeking government contracts
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "sam"
- → single Government-wide point of entry for contract opportunities
- "sba"
- → Small Business Administration
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology