The SBA’s Mentor-Protege Program (MPP) continues to be one of the most popular programs at the SBA. The MPP is a great way for federal contractors to grow and learn from more experienced contractors, in a way that is shielded from size affiliation risks. Historically, the Mentor-Protege Agreement (MPA) between a mentor and protege was a flexible document that allowed the parties to make sure their participation in the program truly fit their processes and aims in their own words. However, in recent years the SBA’s MPA reviews have seemingly taken stricter stances on the format and content of the MPA, leading to confusion among contractors on what they are supposed to draft in their MPA. Recently, we have become aware of the SBA implementing more requirements on MPAs that contractors are not warned about prior to applying to the MPP.
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