A woman does not need to provide the SBA with “smoking gun” evidence of bias in order to be considered socially disadvantaged for purposes of her company’s application to the 8(a) program.

In a recent decision, the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) sharply criticized the SBA’s evaluation of a woman-owned small business’s 8(a) application, holding that the SBA had improperly discounted evidence of bias, needlessly demanded that the woman provide irrelevant details, and made several other errors.

SBA OHA’s decision in Matter of Bartkowski Life Safety Corp., SBA No. BDPE-516 (2014) involved Bartkowski Life Safety Corporation’s 8(a) application.  Bartkowski initially applied to the program in January 2012.  Bartkowski asserted that its owner, Lauren Sustek, was socially disadvantaged on the basis of gender.

Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/8a-program/women-8a-applicants-dont-need-smoking-gun-evidence-of-bias-says-sba-oha/