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Small
Business Set-aside Program. More recently referred to as
the "Procurement Preference Goaling Program." Requires government agencies
to set-aside a fair proportion of its contracting opportunities for
award exclusively to small businesses. There are several implementation
components to the small business set-aside program, including the Certificate
of Competency Program, the Size
Determination Program, and the Contract
Bundling Program. See further discussion of these programs
below. Also, click here for an explanation of the simplified
acquisition threshold.
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Small
Business Subcontracting Program. Encourages the maximum
practicable use of small business subcontractors on agency prime
contracts awards in excess of $100,000. It also requires large
prime contractors to submit small business subcontracting plans for
certain categories of contract awards. SBA maintains a Subcontracting
Opportunities Directory to assist in linking small businesses with
prime contractors. Also available is SUB-Net,
an online central post for prime contractors to advertise opportunities
for subcontractors.
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HUBZone
Empowerment Contracting Program. Targets contracting
opportunities at qualified small businesses located in communities
designated as economically distressed.
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Very
Small Business (VSB) Program. A pilot program designed to assist
companies with 15 or fewer employees and average annual receipts not
exceeding $1,000.000. The program currently applies in designated
SBA districts.
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BusinessLINC.
A program to encourage private sector business-to-business connections
that enhance the economic vitality and competitive capacity of small
businesses, particularly those located in distressed urban and rural
areas.
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Small
Business Development Centers Program. A collaboration
between the SBA, educational institutions, and other federal and state
government agencies to provide information access and counseling assist
to start-up and early stage small businesses. There are nearly
1,000 service locations under the SBDC Program.
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SCORE
Counseling Program. The Service Corps of Retired
Executives (SCORE) works in conjunction with the Small Business
Administration to provide small business entrepreneurs with free
assistance on starting and operating a small business. Find
additional resources on the SBA / SCORE collaboration under the Business
Information Centers Program.
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Small
Business Tax Assistance Initiative. SBA works with the IRS
to host a tax information web site for small businesses. Information
covers such topics as simplified tax rules for small businesses, IRS
forms, and IRS Problem Solving Days.
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The
8(a) Business Development Program. Provides business
development assistance to companies owned by individuals that qualify as
socially and economically disadvantaged.
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The
8(a) Mentor-Protege Program. An extension of the 8(a)
Business Development Program which encourages 8(a) certified companies
to team up with more experienced businesses in seeking and performing
government contracts.
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Small
Disadvantaged Business Program. Provides prime contract
and subcontract access support to companies owned by socially and
economically disadvantaged individuals.
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Tribal
Business Information Centers (TBIC) Project. Targets
business development assistance at reservation-based Native
Americans. TBICs located on Native American reservations provide
state-of-the-art computer resources plus reference materials and
counseling services to aid small businesses in the start-up and early
growth stages. Additional resources for Native American business
development can be found through the Office
of Native American Affairs.
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Women-owned
Small Business Procurement Program. Promotes the use of
women business owners in the performance of government contracts at the
prime contract and subcontract levels. Other programs targeted at
women-owned businesses can be located through the SBA Office
of Women's Business Ownership.
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Veterans
Business Outreach Program. Utilizes organizations referred
to as Veterans Outreach Business Centers (VBOCs) to target business
development assistance to companies owned by veterans. Services
include business plan assistance and enterprise feasibility
assessments. Other services to assist veterans can be located
through the SBA Office
of Veterans Business Development.
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Certificate
of Competency Program. Provides a mechanism by which to
appeal a Federal agency's decisions not to award a contract on the basis
of the capability of a small business to perform. A 1999 statement
by the SBA before the U.S. Congress provides excellent insight into how
this program works.
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Contract
Bundling Alert System. Provides a mechanism for interested
parties to report agency contract bundling activities to the SBA.
Click here for
more information on the Federal Access web site about contract
bundling.
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Small
Business Innovation Research Program. A highly competitive
program that provides financial support to small businesses for research
and development (R&D) on new technologies with strong commercial
potential.
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Small
Business Technology Transfer Program. Targets Federal
research and development (R&D) funding at small businesses working
in partnership with non-profit research institutions to develop new
technological innovations for commercial application.
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Business
Loan Programs. Several loan programs offered by the SBA
and other agencies are featured in the "Financial
Assistance" area of this web site.
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