“Given major federal budget cuts over the past three years, it’s no surprise that contractor growth rates are down. One class of small business, however, is resisting the trend.
Service-disabled, veteran-owned small-business contracting has increased from $8.2 billion in 2008 to $14.5 billion in 2012 — achieving a compound annual growth rate of 15 percent.
The federal government is still falling short of the goal to award 3 percent of contract dollars to these types of businesses; it currently hits about 2.5 percent. But SDVOSBs are the only socioeconomic class where the government is consistently making year-over-year progress.
The recent success stories of these veteran-owned businesses are based on more than just contract spending at the VA. The vast majority of federal agencies have increased their SDVOSB contracting. Even the hard-hit Army increased its prime contracting for servicedisabled, veteran-owned small businesses from $3.4 billion in 2010 to nearly $5 billion in 2012.
It’s difficult to explain why the government has had more success trying to reach its goals for this area than it has achieving targets for other socioeconomic groups. But whatever the reason, SDVOSB contracting is one of the few promising markets in this environment.”
Kevin Plexico – Vice President of Federal Northgate Information Solutions.
Bob Eskridge, President of Eskridge & Associates states, “We greatly appreciate the efforts the various government sectors have invested in contracting specifically with SDVOSBs. This avenue has been a major component of our success over the years. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to provide health care providers not only to my fellow veterans through the VA but also through the various military branches and other federal agencies as well.”
Eskridge & Associates, a certified service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, specializes in the placement of physicians in over 65 different specialties, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in locum tenens, contract and direct hire placement opportunities nationwide. Our customers include hundreds of hospitals, clinics, medical centers, government facilities, and other healthcare organizations across the United States.