Subpart 19.4 - Cooperation with the Small Business Administration

(a) The Small Business Act is the authority under which the Small Business Administration (SBA) and agencies consult and cooperate with each other in formulating policies to ensure that small business interests will be recognized and protected.

(b) The Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization serves as the agency focal point for interfacing with SBA. The Director of the Office of Small Business Programs is the agency focal point for the Department of Defense.

(a)

(1) The SBA may assign one or more procurement center representatives (PCRs) to any contracting activity or contract administration office to carry out SBA policies and programs. Assigned SBA PCRs are required to comply with the contracting agency's directives governing the conduct of contracting personnel and the release of contract information. The SBA must obtain for its PCRs security clearances required by the contracting agency.

(2) If an SBA PCR is not assigned to the procuring activity or contract administration office, contact the SBA Office of Government Contracting Area Office serving the area in which the procuring activity is located for assistance in carrying out SBA policies and programs. See https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/counseling-help/procurement-center-representative-directory for the location of the SBA office servicing the activity.

(b) Upon their request and subject to applicable acquisition and security regulations, contracting officers shall give SBA PCRs (or, if a PCR is not assigned, see paragraph (a) of this section) access to all reasonably obtainable contract information that is directly pertinent to their official duties.

(c) The duties assigned by SBA to its PCR are set forth at 13 CFR 125.2(b) and include but are not limited to the following:

(1) Reviewing proposed acquisitions to recommend–

(i) The set-aside or sole-source award to a small business of selected acquisitions;

(ii) New qualified small business sources, including veteran-owned small, service-disabled veteran-owned small, HUBZone small, small disadvantaged, economically disadvantaged women-owned small, and women-owned small eligible under the Women-Owned Small Business Program; 

(iii) Breakout of discrete components, items, and requirements for competitive acquisitions; and

(iv) Ways to improve competition.

(2) Reviewing proposed acquisition packages provided in accordance with 19.202-1(e). If the SBA procurement center representative (or, if a procurement center representative is not assigned, see paragraph (a) of this section) believes that the acquisition, as proposed, makes it unlikely that small businesses can compete for the prime contract, the representative shall recommend any alternate contracting method that the representative reasonably believes will increase small business prime contracting opportunities. The recommendation shall be made to the contracting officer within 15 days after receipt of the package.

(3) Recommending concerns for inclusion on a list of concerns to be solicited in a specific acquisition.

(4) Appealing to the chief of the contracting office any contracting officer’s determination not to solicit a concern recommended by the SBA for a particular acquisition, when not doing so results in no small business being solicited.

(5) Conducting periodic reviews of the contracting activity to which assigned to ascertain whether it is complying with the small business policies in this regulation.

(6) Sponsoring and participating in conferences and training designed to increase small business participation in the contracting activities of the office.

(7) Appealing a contracting officer's rejection of PCR's recommendation. Such appeal must be in writing and shall be filed and processed in accordance with the appeal procedures set out in 19.502-8.