On August 28, SBA released an 8(a) Social Disadvantage Regulation list of Frequently Asked Questions. This guidance provides more details to implement SBA’s final rule to revamp the social disadvantage rule for the 8(a) Program that will become effective on September 10.
Here are some key points from this guidance.
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Touted as a “game-changer” when it was first introduced in 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protégé Program isn’t new anymore. Known now as simply the “SBA Mentor-Protégé Program,” it is still extremely useful for large and small contractors alike.
Government contracts attorney and SmallGovCon contributor, Gregory Weber, will explain the ins and outs of the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program, covering the program’s eligibility requirements, its various benefits (including the ability to form special mentor-protégé joint ventures), the application process, and common misconceptions and pitfalls. Additionally, he will provide an introduction to the even older DoD Mentor-Protégé Program, which set the stage for the SBA’s program, and compare the two programs.
Happy Friday! Somehow, it’s already the end of August. The days are still warm, but we are looking forward to some fall weather and football games. Make sure to enjoy the last days of summer before Labor Day arrives. We hope you have a great weekend.
This week in federal government contracting included stories related to the monumental SBA size standard proposal (that we discussed here) and GSA highlighting procurement fraud.
Continue reading…Every few years, SBA updates its size standards for small businesses. In most years, these updates, while notable, are not groundshaking, and usually just account for inflation. That cannot be said of the most recent proposed changes. We do not use hyperbole here, but, sometimes, emphatic language must be used. SBA is proposing what can only be described as absolutely massive changes to its size standards for small business contracting. On August 19, 2026, SBA released its proposal for what can only be described as a new size standard paradigm. We explore these in greater detail here, and plan on one or more follow-up posts as there are multiple aspects of the system that would be changed if the proposal is finalized.
Continue reading…Forming a small business joint venture and utilizing it for federal contracts can at times be quite tedious. Often businesses can feel intimidated by the various required joint venture agreement terms in the SBA’s joint venture regulations and the reporting requirements placed on joint ventures. But complying with the SBA’s joint venture regulations can make or break a contract award, especially if the regulations are made a material requirement of a solicitation. The GAO recently issued an opinion which should serve as a warning to all small business joint ventures to make sure to follow all SBA joint venture regulations when bidding on a contract award or potentially risk the award itself.
Continue reading…In June 2026, the FAR Council released its first batch of proposed rules in the Federal Register to implement the changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). We recently covered the first of those proposed rules, which amended language in FAR Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 39, 40, 52, and 53. In this post, we will review how the RFO is being implemented regarding FAR Parts 5, 24, 29, and 52. From a general perspective, it looks like the proposed regulation tracks with the proposed language already issued under the RFO.
We’ve posted quite extensively about the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) project in past blog posts. For some background info, check out these posts: Executive Order, Overview of FAR 2.0, FAR 2.0: Deviations and Companion Guide, FAR Part 6, FAR Part 19 (and the Once 8(a) Rule in that part), FAR Part 12, FAR Part 15, and FAR Part 33.
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Happy Friday! I recently returned from the 2026 National APEX Accelerator Alliance – NAPEX conference in Orlando. It’s always a great event and this year was no exception. The venue was wonderful and a great space for interacting with many enthusiastic NAPEX counselors and people in the procurement industry. I was able to say hi to a lot of the great NAPEX folks. And I presented on the complex topic of domestic preference rules. Thanks to the NAPEX team for a great event!
This week in federal contracting news included a proposed SBA rule to revamp size standards and some thoughts on a revised GSA AI clause.
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