Sen. Steve Knight

U.S. Rep. Steve Knight introduced his first bill as a member of the House of Representatives this week.

The bill, HR 1390, allows small businesses to form joint ventures and work together to obtain and fulfill government contracts.

“This bill would help the many small businesses in my community that want to compete for federal contracts,” said Knight, R-Antelope Valley, “but don’t have the resources to do so on their own.”

The bills looks to make the bidding process for federal contracts more competitive and cost-effective, according to officials from Knight’s office.

Many federal projects are too large for a single small business to complete, and some agencies do not allow them to work together, he said.

Instead, they often rely on large companies throughout their bidding process, which causes the small business community to miss out on potential contracts and often ends up costing the federal government extra money.

HR 1390 would instruct these agencies to consider bids for contracts made by multiple small businesses working as a joint venture.

“Small businesses working together to save taxpayers money and improve the economy by providing jobs is a win-win for our communities,” Knight said in a statement.

HR 1390 was introduced to the House of Representatives on Monday.  It will be considered in the Committee on Small Business on March 25.

Steve Knight represents the Santa Clarita, Antelope and Simi valleys in the House of Representatives.