The Bureau of Indian Affairs has updated regulations in its Buy Indian Act in order to advance economic and business opportunities in Native communities, the Department of the Interior announced earlier this month.
Updates to the Buy Indian Act will strengthen tribal economies nationwide by allowing the BIA to reserve specific business opportunities for Indian-owned and -controlled enterprises, the DOI states in the April 7 announcement. The updates are also designed to provide a more uniform approach to procurement procedures between BIA and the Indian Health Service (IHS), the announcement reports.
“These regulations will promote economic opportunities in and near Tribal communities for Native-owned businesses,” Bryan Newland, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, said in the announcement.
BIA states in the announcement that revisions to the Buy Indian Act will "Eliminate barriers to Indian Economic Enterprises from competing on certain construction contracts, expand Indian Economic Enterprises’ ability to subcontract construction work consistent with other socio-economic set-aside programs, and give greater preference to Indian Economic Enterprises when a deviation from the Buy Indian Act is necessary, among other updates."
Changes to the Buy Indian Act were proposed last October, after a review of acquisition regulations in Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, revealed Native enterprises faced unintentional barriers created by existing procurement processes, the DOI reports.
The BIA worked with Tribes to develop the final rule changes after the agency announced its proposals last year, according to the DOI. The regulation updates were published for review by the Federal Register on April 8 and will go into effect May May 9, according to the Federal Register.
Newland said the changes are "a key part of our goal to make sure that Indian people have the opportunity to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives in their Tribal communities.”
