Small Biz, Big Deal

The Pentagon has entered into an agreement with the Small Business Administration that allows DOD contracting officers to award small business-size contracts without having to go through the SBA for approval.

According to a Dec. 29, 2009, memo from Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy Director Shay Assad, the agreement "allows DOD contracting officers to award prime contracts directly" to companies participating under the SBA's "8(a)" business development program.

Specifically:

Under the new 8(a) ((Partnership Agreement)) for competitively negotiated procurements, the SBA will no longer review eligibility status for all officers within the competitive range. The SBA will conduct reviews to determine 8(a) eligibility status sequentially, starting with the apparent successful offeror. If the first offeror does not meet the eligibility requirements, then the SBA will review the second offeror for eligibility.