PETALUMA, Calif., Nov. 16, 2005/PRNewswire/ -- John Kerry sent a letter to a top federal procurement official this week to determine what is being done about the inaccurate small business contracting data in the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG). The letter was in response to a report by the Government Accountability Office that raised concerns that data in this system, which tracks all federal government contracting, is "inaccurate and incomplete."

According to the Bush Administration and the SBA, U.S. small businesses garnered a record $69.23 billion in Federal prime contracts in 2004. But this information is based on the data contained in the FPDS-NG.

"The real question is, 'why does the Administration continue to brag about these numbers that we know are not correct?'" Kerry wrote in his letter. "Given that the FPDS is the only tool utilized by the Federal government to document agency contracting, the accuracy of this data is essential for proper oversight of the use of Federal taxpayer dollars."

Efforts by the American Small Business League to obtain the names of firms garnering small business contracts have met with stiff resistance. "We've been trying unsuccessfully to get an accurate list of small business contract awards for the past several months." stated Lloyd Chapman, President of the American Small Business League. "We applaud Senator Kerry for calling attention to a faulty system that hides the fact that billions of dollars in Federal small business contracts are being awarded to Fortune 1000 corporations. The GAO report should sound the alarm that the government does not want the public to have access to this information."

About the ASBL
The American Small Business League was formed to promote and advocate policies that provide the greatest opportunity for small businesses - the 98% of U.S. companies with less than 100 employees. The ASBL is founded on the principle that small businesses, the backbone of a vital American economy, should receive the fair treatment promised by the Small Business Act of 1951. Representing small businesses in all fields and industries throughout the United States, the ASBL monitors existing policies and proposed policy changes by the Small Business Administration and other federal agencies that affect its members.