FEDERAL ADVERTISING: Fourteen Percent of Contract Obligations in the Past Decade Went to Small Disadvantaged Businesses and Those Owned by Women and Minorities.

According to a report by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), federal advertising contract obligations to small disadvantaged businesses and those owned by women and minorities accounted for about 14% ($2.1 billion) of the total advertising contract obligations from fiscal years 2014 through 2023. The share of obligations to specified businesses remained steady during this period, despite overall advertising obligations nearly doubling. The Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security were responsible for more than half of the advertising contract obligations to specified businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal agencies obligated about $1.1 billion to COVID-19-related advertising contracts, with 3.5% going to specified businesses. [Extracted from the article]