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8(a) Business Development Program:
CBM is enrolled in the SBA’s 8(a) business development
program. The SBA administers two particular business
assistance programs for small disadvantaged businesses
(SDBs). These programs are the 8(a) Business Development
Program and the Small Disadvantaged Business
Certification Program. While the 8(a) Program offers a
broad scope of assistance to socially and economically
disadvantaged firms, SBD certification strictly pertains
to benefits in Federal Procurement. Companies which are
8(a) firms automatically qualify for SDB certification.
Participants can receive sole-source contracts, up to a
ceiling of $3.5 million for goods and services and $5.5
million for manufacturing. While SBA helps 8(a) firms
build their competitive and institutional know-how, the
agency also encourages them to participate in
competitive acquisitions.
Federal acquisition policies encourage Federal agencies
to award a certain percentage of their contracts to
SDBs. To speed up the award process, the SBA has signed
Partnership Agreements (PAs) with a number of federal
agencies allowing them to contract directly with
certified 8(a) firms.
8(a) firms are permitted to form joint ventures and
teams to bid on contracts. This enhances the ability of
8(a) firms to perform larger prime contracts and
overcome the effects of contract bundling, the combining
of two or more contracts together into one large
contract.
Program goals require 8(a) firms to maintain a balance
between their commercial and government business. There
is also a limit on the total dollar value of sole-source
contracts that an individual participant can receive
while in the program: $100 million or five times the
value of its primary NAICS code. The overall program
goal is to graduate firms that will go on to thrive in a
competitive business environment.
To achieve this end, SBA district offices monitor and
measure the progress of participants through annual
reviews, business planning, and systematic evaluations.
8(a) participants may take advantage of specialized
business training, counseling, marketing assistance, and
high-level executive development provided by the SBA and
its resource partners. They may also be eligible for
assistance in obtaining access to surplus government
property and supplies, SBA-guaranteed loans, and bonding
assistance
For additionalo information on this program please go
to:
SBA 8(a) Program Info
To research the program, as it pertains to the Federal
Acquisition Regulations (FAR), go to: FAR Part 19 -
Small Business Programs
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