Summary: State Department data for fiscal years 1990 and 1991 show that the Department met or exceeded most of its goals for awarding contracts to small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned businesses. State Department officials said that most of these contracts were awarded to businesses in the Washington, D.C., area. GAO discovered, however, that the Department's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, which has a small staff and modest resources, has only a limited ability to promote the small business program. The office has done little to promote target business participation in overseas procurements, which may account for about half ($500 million) of the Department's contracting. GAO recommends that the Department develop a plan to promote more participation by small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned U.S. businesses in overseas procurements; prepare written descriptions identifying the roles and responsibilities of the major procurement units under the small business program; and automate records maintained by the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization on target businesses.
