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8(a) Certified Small Disadvantaged
Business
Overview
The 8(a) program name comes from Section 8(a)
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(a)) which was drafted
to help
small companies owned by socially and economically disadvantaged
persons develop their business. The SBA certifies participating
companies for a period of 9 years and has established guidelines
to ensure procurements are professionally executed, fair, effective
and compliant.
Federated Advantage
- A significant benefit from the 8(a) program is that Federated
is eligible to receive sole-source contracts without competition
as well as set-aside procurement competitions that limit
the field of eligible participants to other 8(a) concerns.
- Federated
is eligible for price evaluation adjustments when bidding
on Full and Open procurements for DoD and NASA. When
submitting a bid, the contracting officer adds a weighted
factor determined annually by the Dept of Commerce to all other
offers.
Contracting Officer’s Advantage
The 8(a) program
is the only procurement method that gives Program Managers
sole discretion in choosing a contractor team. There are no delays
for sole-source selections. There is no requirement for time
consuming detailed evaluation of bidders and there is minimal
pre-award documentation. An 8(a) contract can be awarded
to Federated
in 60-90 days, compared to 9-12 months required in the baseline
procurement cycle and can help the Program Manager achieve
the federally mandated Small Disadvantaged Business goals.
Prime Contractor’s Advantage
The SBA acts as the
Prime contractor to provide contract oversight, to ensure
the 8(a) business meets delivery goals, and to ensure contract
and
fiscal compliance.
Trusted Partners and Subcontractors
SBA program rules
and regulations recognize that a small business may not possess
the entire breadth of skills required by the Program Manager.
To that end, 8(a) companies are authorized to subcontract
work to other firms; in this way, Federated can tailor contracting
teams for a precise match with the requirement. This represents
a substantial opportunity for our trusted partners to pursue
and develop business lines in areas previously considered
beyond
their marketing reach because of the SDB set-aside determination.
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| “Federated employees epitomize the kind of people
our Agency customer seeks. Selfless, mission-driven, and
technically astute; they blend ingenuity with a positive
attitude and strong inter-personal skills that have won
them the respect of their peers as well as management.”
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