On October 15, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a final rule making changes to the SBA’s 8(a) program regulations “to more clearly articulate SBA’s intent with regard to certain aspects of the 8(a) program to eliminate confusion and decrease burdens on procuring activities and 8(a) participants.” On December 15, 2022, the Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued a notice of proposed rules that would amend certain Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions to implement those regulatory changes by the SBA. The deadline for comments on the changes proposed by the DOD, GSA, and NASA is February 13, 2023.
DOD, GSA, and NASA propose making the following changes:
The new revisions included in this proposed rule do not appear to make material changes to the SBA’s 8(a) program and are instead described by the federal government as an effort to align DOD, GSA, and NASA procurement regulations with changes and updates adopted by the SBA in 2020.