Is your company SBA 8a certified? Are you seeking new opportunities to expand your small business? As you may have discovered, just because your company is admitted into the SBA 8a program does not mean it will have automatic success and contracts will suddenly appear.
It helps to have another company help you "learn the ropes" and learn how to skillfully maneuver through the complex government contracting field.
The SBA recently implemented a program through the Department of Defense Mentor-Protege Program (MPP).
The purpose of the MPP is to help small companies get support from experienced larger companies.
Just like small businesses are looking for help, prime contractors seek well qualified small businesses to become their partners.
The Mentor-Protege program can be a win-win-win for the small business, the prime contractor and government agency clients.
The mentor company helps to develop the technical and business capabilities of the small disadvantaged business owner to help them expand their capabilities to do work within the Department of Defense.
Mentors provide technical and management assistance in the form of equity investments or loans, subcontract support, but most importantly assistance in working on prime contracts through joint venture arrangements with 8a firms.
There is an incentive through a special credit system towards meeting subcontracting goals or some direct reimbursement of costs to the mentor organizations.
So this is truly a win-win for the small business and the prime contractor mentor.
Mentor firms come from a broad range of industries including: environmental, remediation, manufacturing, telecommunications, and health care.
There are certain requirements for a 8a protege firm to participate in the program.
They must:

• Be in good standing and be current with all reporting requirements in the 8a program
• Never received an 8a contract
• Have a size of less than 1/2 of size standard for a small business based on its primary SIC code.
  

There are certain requirements for a 8a mentor firm to participate in the program.
They:

• Can be a 8a graduate
• Must be financially healthy and profitable for at least the past two years
• Be in federal contractor in good standing
• Able to provide support to a protege through best practices in government contracting

Both firms must enter into a SBA approved written agreement outlining the 8a needs and describing the mentor's assistance.
The protege's BOP specialist evaluates the agreement according to the SBA 13 CFR 124.
520 regulations.
The SBA conducts annual reviews to determine the success of the mentor-protege relationship.
There are details to the program on the SBA website: http://www.
sba.
gov