DoD creates centralized supplier database to cut red tape for small defense contractors
H.R. 5977 — Common Repository for Small Businesses Act · Filed by Derek Schmidt (R-KS) · Introduced Nov 7, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill requires the Department of Defense to create a centralized database where small businesses and suppliers can submit their qualification information once, rather than repeatedly to different prime contractors. The DoD can partner with private contractors to build and maintain this repository if it reduces duplication and speeds up supplier qualification.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is administrative streamlining—consolidating supplier vetting data to reduce duplication and lower barriers for small manufacturers entering the defense supply chain. It is a procedural efficiency measure, not a subsidy or carve-out.
What the text implies
- Public-private partnership language (subsection c) permits DoD to contract with private firms to build/maintain the repository, creating a potential intermediary that could capture data or impose fees on suppliers, though the bill does not explicitly authorize charges.
- Repository may consolidate sensitive supplier information (financial, technical, security posture) in a single target, creating cybersecurity concentration risk if not properly secured.
- Cooperative agreement authority is discretionary ('may enter into'), leaving implementation scope and private-sector involvement undefined; actual benefit to small suppliers depends on DoD's execution choices.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Small businesses and manufacturers face lower barriers to entry into defense contracting by eliminating redundant paperwork and qualification cycles. Reduced administrative friction expands competitive access to federal procurement, which is a public good (broader supplier base, lower costs, resilience). No identified cost to ordinary citizens.
Who stands to gain
- small manufacturers and defense contractors (reduced qualification costs)
- prime contractors (streamlined supplier vetting)
- potential IT/consulting contractors hired to build/maintain the repository
Named in the bill
Department of Defense, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, Office of Small Business Programs, prime contractors, small manufacturers, chapter 388 title 10 USC (procurement technical assistance)
Where it stands
- Nov 7, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Nov 7, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Armed Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,594 characters) on Aug 17, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“DoD creates centralized supplier database to cut red tape for small defense contractors” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr5977 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.