SBA Proposes Consolidation of Federal Contracting Assistance Mentor-Protégé Programs

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed a rule of merging two of its current federal contracting assistance programs, the 8(a) Business Development Mentor-Protégé Program and the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program, in order to eliminate confusion and remove unnecessary duplication of functions within the SBA. The 8(a) Program is for small businesses owned by socially or economically disadvantaged people, while the All Small Program is open to any small business.

The SBA’s anticipated impacts of consolidating the programs include:

• Reducing excessive burdens on 8(a) participants;
• Requiring a business to recertify its size and/or socioeconomic status for all set-aside orders under unrestricted multiple award contracts (MAC) and for orders that differ from the underlying set-aside MAC contract; and
• Allowing for size and/or socioeconomic protests at the order-level for set-aside orders issued against unrestricted MACs or based on different socioeconomic status from the underlying set-aside MAC.

If interested or potentially affected, you may submit formal comments about the SBA’s proposed rule via the U.S. Federal Register website by clicking here. Comments must be received on or before January 17, 2020.

If you have any questions about the SBA’s proposal or any other business legal issue, please do not hesitate to contact your current Widerman Malek business attorney.