Small businesses win billions more in Defense contracts

Small businesses won $5 billion more in Defense Department contracts in fiscal 2002 than they won in fiscal 2001, the Pentagon announced last week.

The department awarded $33.3 billion in contracts to small businesses in fiscal 2002, compared with $28.3 billion in fiscal 2001. Small-business contracts represented 21.2 percent of the $157.1 billion in contracts awarded to all types of businesses last year, according to the department's annual procurement report.

In fiscal 2001, small businesses received 20.8 percent of all Defense Department contracts. Defense officials attributed last year's increases to greater small-business participation in acquisitions related to aircraft, ships and commercial items.