UPDATE: SBA Opens Certify Portal for Social Disadvantage Narrative Uploads by Current 8(a) Participants Not Pending 8(a) Award

As we have previously written about in several recent 8(a) articles and updates, which can all be found on our 8(a) landing page here, SBA had previously told all 8(a) participants not pending an 8(a) award to “sit tight” and wait for the go-ahead to submit their social disadvantage narratives. Well, according to SBA’s just-released Certify Help Desk Guidance, it appears that go-ahead was just given to all the (justifiably) anxious 8(a) participants out there hoping to confirm their continued 8(a) Program eligibility as soon as possible.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 4-8, 2023

Happy Friday! We hope you enjoyed the nice long weekend. After this long heatwave, we’ve been enjoying the cooler weather this week, here in Kansas. I think it’s safe to say that most everyone is ready for fall.

There was a lot of activity this week in federal government contracting. We have included some articles that we hope will be of interest, including updates on the 8(a) Program, and a lot of changes on the IT front for federal agencies. Enjoy the weekend!

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SBA Webinar Clarifies New Expectations for 8(a) Social Disadvantage Narrative

As you likely know if you have been anywhere around federal government contracting lately, the SBA’s 8(a) Program is in a little bit of an upheaval. Due to a court case we have blogged on, SBA is subject to a court order with how it administers certain aspects of the 8(a) Program and has temporarily suspended new 8(a) Program applications. However, there are many contractors already in the 8(a) Program that SBA is now asking to complete social disadvantage narratives to allow for continued eligibility. SBA held a webinar on August 24, 2023 to discuss what they expect from social disadvantage narratives submitted by these current 8(a) Program participants. What SBA expressed represents a change to how SBA has reviewed social disadvantage in the past. But we are here to walk you through some of these changes.

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