The DoD Mentor-Protégé Program’s New Look: Expanded Protégé Eligibility

Many SBA programs and offerings have their origins in other agencies or parts of the federal government. Contractors who do not work with the DoD might be surprised to learn that the DoD’s own Mentor-Protégé Program is in fact the oldest continuously operating mentor-protégé program, dating back to the First Gulf War. Recently, this program received some updates, one of which will greatly expand the pool of eligible proteges. Let’s take a look at these changes in more detail.

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Department of Defense Proposes Rule to Reauthorize and Improve the Mentor-Protégé Program

The Department of Defense (DoD) has proposed to revise the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFARS) to reauthorize and improve the DoD Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP). The primary purpose of the proposed rule (Proposed Rule) is to reauthorize the DoD MPP, provide incentives to large DoD contractors to serve as mentors to small businesses, and extend opportunities for small businesses to participate in the MPP. In addition, the proposed rule removes restrictions on the eligibility of small businesses by aligning the size of the small business with the size standard associated with its primary NAICS code.

The Proposed Rule is here.

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