When it comes to SBA 8(a) termination appeals, failing to follow technical filing requirements can be fatal, as one contractor recently learned the hard way.

In James Kelly Construction Co., SBA No. BDPT-459 (2012), the SBA terminated James Kelly Construction Company from the 8(a) program, alleging that the company’s owner owed outstanding taxes.  The company filed a SBA 8(a) termination appeal with the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals, arguing that the owner did not, in fact, owe taxes.

Unfortunately, the company–which prepared and filed its appeal without a lawyer–failed to include with its appeal a copy of the SBA’s termination determination and the date the determination was received.  Because both of these items are required by regulation, SBA OHA dismissed the company’s SBA 8(a) termination appeal, and subsequently denied the company’s request that SBA OHA reconsider its dismissal.

SBA OHA appeals, including 8(a) termination appeals, come with a variety of technical requirements.  As the James Kelly Construction Co. case demonstrates, meeting those technical requirements is imperative, or the appeal could be lost before SBA OHA ever reaches the merits of the matter.