Tag Archives: operating agreements

OHA: SBA VetCert Review of Bylaws Was too Strict

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We have previously blogged on SBA OHA decisions where an applicant was denied certification in one of SBA’s socioeconomic programs because the applicant failed to meet SBA’s control requirements. (You can check out some recent posts here and here). These decisions served as friendly reminders that before submitting an application, future applicants should take a closer look at its governing documents for potential concerns SBA may raise in its review.  

A recent OHA decision, however, suggests that SBA’s strict interpretation of an applicant’s governing documents isn’t always the correct interpretation.

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OHA: Provisions in Operating Agreements for SBA Set-Aside Program Participants can Sink Eligibility

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The organizational documents for a business seeking certification under a SBA socio-economic program can play an important part in a company demonstrating its eligibility under the SBA’s requirement for control by the company’s owners, such as a service-disabled veteran or disadvantaged owner. Unlike some of the SBA’s requirements for eligibility, the manner in which a program applicant or participant might run afoul of this requirement are not always obvious. Typical provisions in the organizational documents that, under “non-SBA” circumstances may seem innocuous, may unintentionally undermine the disadvantaged owner’s requirement of showing of unconditional ownership and control. 

In a recent OHA decision regarding Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) eligibility, (CVE Protest of: Randy Kinder Excavating, Inc.  d/b/a RKE Contractors, Protester Re: E&L Construction Group, LLC), an unsuccessful bidder filed a protest of a set-aside contract award, alleging that the company was not unconditionally controlled by the disadvantaged owner. After considering a variety of arguments, OHA issued a decision based on a handful of provisions in the respondent’s operating agreement.

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SBA Affiliation Rules: Beware Supermajority Voting Requirements

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Under the SBA’s affiliation rules, a minority owner may “control” a company where the company’s governing documents impose supermajority voting requirements that require the minority owner’s consent for the company to make ordinary business decisions.

In a recent size appeal decision, the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals confirmed that supermajority voting requirements may establish control (and affiliation), even where the minority owner does not actually exercise its control.

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Joint Ventures And GAO Protests: Protester Must Have “Standing”

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For a member of a joint venture to file a GAO bid protest on behalf of the joint venture, the member must have the authority to do so.  If a JV Member’s authority to act is in question, the GAO will dismiss the protest for lack of standing.

In a recent decision, the GAO dismissed a bid protest filed by a joint venture member because the other joint venture member disputed the protester’s right to act on the joint venture’s behalf.

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