Subpart 19.4 - Cooperation with the Small

Business Administration

Parent topic: Part 19 - Small Business Programs

19.401 General.

(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.

19.402 Small Business Administration procurement center

representatives.

(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-director

y 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 veteranowned 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.

19.403 [Reserved].