Category Archives: 8(a) Program

Posts dealing with the 8(a) business development program, including 8(a) admissions and eligiblity, requests for reconsideration, ongoing eligibility and compliance, and related matters.

Mentor-Protégé Consolidation Goes Live: What Does this Mean for You?

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The 8(a) Business Development Mentor-Protégé Program has officially been consolidated into the All-Small Mentor-Protégé Program. The goal: to eliminate duplications in regulations and to alleviate confusion between the two programs.

This change has been years in the making. Since the All-Small Mentor-Protégé Program was introduced in 2016, confusion between the two programs has persisted. SBA began looking at how to streamline the programs. We first wrote about the proposed rule changes back in November 2019.

SBA has now implemented its overhaul and consolidation through a final rule; follow along as we take you through what you need to know about the new rules.

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SBA Cuts 8(a) Reapplication Period to 90 Days

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The SBA has cut the waiting period for reapplying to the 8(a) Program from 12 months to only 90 days.

In a final rule effective November 16, the SBA explains that the shorter period should reduce the need for sometimes-costly appeals of denied 8(a) Program applications.

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SBA Dials Back on 8(a) Program “Immediate Family” Restrictions

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If you’ve been interested in applying to the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program, but have a close family member who has already participated in the 8(a) Program, SBA’s message–until now–has been, for the most part, “thanks, but no thanks.”

But in a new rule taking effect on November 16, 2020, SBA has dialed back on the restrictions applicable to people who want to participate in the 8(a) Program, but who have immediate family members who have previously received 8(a) benefits.

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SBA Inspector General Says SBA’s Corrective Actions Have Effectively Resolved 8(a) Eligibility Concerns

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SBA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently inspected SBA’s 2019-2020 corrective actions to determine whether they had effectively reduced the risks previously found in SBA’s 8(a) Program eligibility determinations. Apparently, the OIG liked what it saw.

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OHA: Second Job Leads to 8(a) Program Termination

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When it comes to the 8(a) program, you might want to quit your day job.

The 8(a) Business Development Program, similar to other SBA socioeconomic programs such as the service-disabled veteran-owned small business program, requires the disadvantaged individual owner to work full-time at the business during normal business hours of similar firms. If an owner has a second job outside the main company, that can create problems, as it did in a recent OHA decision.

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GAO: Work Must Remain Set Aside for 8(a) Participants Because Not a “New Requirement”

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In a recent decision, Eminent IT, LLC, B-418570 (June 23, 2020), GAO held that the Department of State improperly removed a requirement from the SBA’s 8(a) program where the solicitation did not create a “new requirement.”  

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Newsflash: 8(a) Income and Net Worth Eligibility Standards Increased

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As of July 15, the initial caps on net worth, adjusted gross income, and fair market value of assets for the 8(a) program have gone up. The dollar amounts for initial 8(a) economic disadvantage eligibility have increased quite a bit, making more people economically eligible. Read on for the details on this change.

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