The SBA is considering making changes to improve its socioeconomic programs–particularly the 8(a) and HUBZone Programs.
In a talk on Aug. 22nd at the 2017 Navy Gold Coast Procurement Conference, Robb Wong, the SBA’s recently-appointed Associate Administrator, Office of Government Contracting and Business Development, discussed some of the big changes the SBA is considering. And to my ears, at least, a lot of what Mr. Wong said makes good sense.
Mr. Wong made clear that few decisions have been made at this point; most of the potential changes are only in the discussion phase for now. That said, here are some of the changes the SBA is considering – and why.
First, SBA is considering how to better focus on what the VA would call “procurement readiness.” Mr. Wong pointed out that many small businesses think that getting a socioeconomic certification is the hard part, and that the contracts come easily once a company is certified.
Of course, that’s not the case. Many certified companies aren’t truly ready to do business with the government. That, in turn, can hurt the reputations of the socioeconomic certifications themselves. It may be unfair, but some procuring officials can become gun shy about using a socioeconomic class after a bad experience with an unready company.
Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/events/sba-considering-8a-hubzone-changes/
