PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 534.
Congressional Research Service
Version 18 · Reported to House amended, Part I · Dec 27, 2012
Subcontracting Transparency and Reliability Act of 2012 - Title I: Limitations on Subcontracting - (Sec. 101) Amends the Small Business Act to prohibit a small business receiving a guaranteed loan through the Small Business Administration (SBA) from expending more on subcontractors than: (1) 50% of the loan amount received, in case of a contract for services; and (2) 50%, in the case of a contract for supplies (other than from a regular dealer in such supplies). Requires the small business, in case of a contract for supplies from a regular dealer, to supply the product of a domestic small business manufacturer or processor, unless the SBA grants a waiver. Authorizes the SBA Administrator to: (1) modify the above percentage limits when necessary to reflect conventional industry practices; and (2) establish a subcontractor percentage limit for general and specialty construction and contracts not covered by (1) and (2), above.
(Sec. 102) Provides penalties for violations of such limits.
Title II: Subcontracting Plans - (Sec. 201) Requires each subcontracting plan submitted to federal agencies to contain assurances that the offeror or bidder will: (1) report on subcontracting activities throughout the life of the contract, and (2) cooperate with any study or survey required by the federal agency or SBA to determine the extent of compliance with the subcontracting plan. Directs the Administrator to ensure that the federal subcontracting reporting system to which such reports are submitted is modified to notify the Administrator, the appropriate contracting officer, and the appropriate Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization if an entity fails to submit a required report. Makes such failure a breach of contract for which appropriate action may be taken.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Provides that if an agency procurement center or commercial market representative determines that a subcontracting plan fails to provide the maximum practicable opportunity for small businesses to participate, such representative may delay acceptance of the plan for a 30-day period for plan alteration.
(Sec. 202) Requires public notices of small business subcontracting opportunities under federal procurement contracts to be posted on the appropriate federal website (under current law, required to be posted in the Commerce Business Daily).
Title III: Insourcing - (Sec. 302) Allows a federal agency to convert a function from performance by a small business to performance by a federal employee only if: (1) the agency has made publicly available the procedures for such a decision, and (2) the procedures require such decisions to be reviewed by the appropriate Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and procurement representative.
People & committees
Rep. Mulvaney, Mick [R-SC-5] · R–SC
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 534.
Committee on Oversight and Government discharged.
Committee on Oversight and Government discharged.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 112-731, Part I.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 112-731, Part I.
Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Referred to the Committee on Small Business, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Small Business, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Apr 7, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.3893 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.3893 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.3893 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.3893 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.