Help Please: SBA Asking for Input on Mentor-Protege and Joint Venture Issues

SBA has indicated that it will be holding a tribal consultation meeting in June. Among the topics to be discussed will be the 8(a) Program and SBA Mentor-Protege Program and joint ventures. This request is interesting because it reveals a little bit about what the SBA is thinking with regards to the Mentor-Protégé Program and joint venture issues. While it is especially relevant for entity-owned 8(a) Program firms, it is also revealing for other small businesses.

Continue reading

Webinar Event! February 26, 2025, The SBA Mentor Protege Program in Collaboration with Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, 10:30-12:30pm EST

Touted as a “game-changer” when it was first introduced in 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protege Program isn’t new anymore. Known now as simply the “SBA Mentor-Protege Program, it is still extremely powerful for large and small contractors alike. In this webinar, seasoned government contracts attorneys, Shane McCall & Gregory Weber from Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, will explain the ins and out of the SBA Mentor-Protege Program, covering the program’s eligibility requirements, its potent benefits (including the ability to form special mentor-protege Joint Ventures), the application process, and common misconceptions and pitfalls.

Target Audience: Small Businesses (SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), SDB) and large businesses interest in doing business with the federal government. Register here

Webinar event: The SBA and DoD Mentor-Protégé Programs, December 3, 2024, hosted by Kansas APEX Accelerators

Please join us on December 3, 2024, 9:30-11:30am CST for this webinar event. Touted as a game-changer when it was first introduced in 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protege Program isn’t new anymore. Known now as simply the SBA Mentor-Protege Program, it is still extremely useful for large and small contractors alike.

Government contracts attorney Gregory Weber and Annie Birney of Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC will explain the ins and outs of the SBA Mentor-Protege Program, covering the program’s eligibility requirements, its potential benefits (including the ability to form special mentor-protege joint ventures), the application process, and common misconceptions and pitfalls. Additionally, Gregory and Annie will provide an introduction to the even older DoD Mentor-Protege Program, which set the stage for the SBA’s program, and compare the two programs. Register here.

SBA Proposed Rule Clarifies Mentor-Protégé Misunderstandings

In August, the Small Business Administration issued a proposed rule that was packed to the brim with changes to many of the SBA’s small business contracting programs. We’ve mentioned a few of the changes in prior blog posts. Gregory Weber, discussed potential changes to the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program that may result in more relaxed requirements. While Shane McCall, recently took a deep dive into proposed changes to past performance requirements for joint ventures. Today, we will focus on two additional proposed changes to the SBA’s Small Business Mentor-Protégé Program.

Continue reading

SBA Getting Strict on MPA Language

One of the most popular programs in small business federal contracting seems to be the SBA’s Mentor-Protege Program. It is generally a great program for small businesses to utilize the resources and knowledge of a larger or more experienced business to grow. In turn, it also gives large businesses the ability to work on small business contracting opportunities, and the Government the ability to contract with more robust teams. Unfortunately, there has been a recent trend of the SBA being somewhat strict on minor language in Mentor-Protege Agreements, possibly stifling participation in the program, or at least making it take longer for SBA to approve these agreements.

Continue reading

Common Misconceptions: SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program (Part II – Participation Rules & Limits)

The SBA’s Small Business Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) is arguably one of the federal government’s most successful undertakings when it comes to supporting our nation’s small business policies, economy, and contracting goals. It fosters the development of small business protégés, allowing many different forms of mentor assistance. It includes opportunity for eligible protégés and their mentors to joint venture (JV) for set-aside contracts—often otherwise off-limits to mentors that don’t qualify for the set-aside status/size standard and/or to protégés incapable of competing for or performing such contracts on their own. MPP JV awards may also incentivize federal government customers—simultaneously getting closer to meeting their set-aside quotas and getting the know-how, qualifications, resources, and personnel of more experienced (typically larger) contractors.

While it’s easy to see why this program enjoys immense popularity amongst small and large businesses alike, confusion consistently shrouds SBA’s MPP, nevertheless (hence the need for a two-parter here). In this article, we’ll skip over the “basics” of SBA’s MPP (which you can read all about here) and instead, jump right into the last few common misconceptions surrounding the program (you can read about the first few in Part I).

Continue reading

Common Misconceptions: SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program (Part I – MPP JVs & Affiliation Shield)

The SBA’s Small Business Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) is arguably one of the federal government’s most successful undertakings when it comes to supporting our nation’s small business policies, economy, and contracting goals. It fosters the development of small business protégés, allowing many different forms of mentor assistance. It includes opportunity for eligible protégés and their mentors to joint venture (JV) for set-aside contracts—often otherwise off-limits to mentors that don’t qualify for the set-aside status/size standard and/or to protégés incapable of competing for or performing such contracts on their own. MPP JV awards may also incentivize federal government customers—simultaneously getting closer to meeting their set-aside quotas and getting the know-how, qualifications, resources, and personnel of more experienced (typically larger) contractors.

While it’s easy to see why this program enjoys immense popularity amongst small and large businesses alike, confusion consistently shrouds SBA’s MPP, nevertheless (hence the need for a two-parter here). In this article, we’ll skip over the “basics” of SBA’s MPP (which you can read all about here) and instead, jump right into the first few common misconceptions surrounding the program (with the rest to follow in Part II).

Continue reading