American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms accounted for 0.9 percent of the nation’s 23 million businesses in 2002 with $26.9 billion in revenue, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census. In the Washington region, nearly 4,700 firms pulled in about $675 million in revenue.
But despite the fact that the number of firms is representative of the group’s population — American Indians and Alaska Native’s account for about 1.3 percent of the U.S. population — more needs to be done to increase federal contracting opportunities, officials said.
“American Indians don’t always understand the system,” said Pete Homer, president and CEO of the National Indian Business Association. “The procurement system needs to be customized for Indian tribes to understand the process.”
The association is working to develop software that will guide American Indians through the federal contracting process, Homer said.
About 1 percent of federal contracts go to American Indians and Alaska Natives on an annual basis, which equates to about $3 billion.
The federal government’s goal for minority contracts is 23 percent.
Ronald Langston, national director of the Minority Business Development Agency — a politically appointed position — said “depending on who you talk to,” the government met that goal during its last fiscal year.
But with less than 1 percent going to American Indians and Alaska Natives, “there’s a lot of room for improvement. We need to keep driving that number up.”
The key, he said, is “teaming” or working with other minority-owned companies to pool resources and secure bigger contracts.
The local viewpoint
American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms in the Washington region:
» Total number of firms: 4,699
» Total revenue: $675.41 million
» Total number of firms with paid employees: 578
» Total revenue: $541 million
Top industries for firms with paid employees:
» Professional, scientific and technical services: 151 firms
» Construction: 77
» Administrative, support, waste management and remediation services: 40
