The Soon to be Missing 8(a) IT Firms (Looming Graduation Cliff)
The SBA’s 8(a) Business Development program is designed as a temporary incubator, limiting a firm’s participation to a strict nine-year period. After this term, firms graduate from the program and lose eligibility for most 8(a) set-aside contracting benefits. Currently, there are 879 IT companies in the 8(a) program, collectively generating about $9.1 billion annually in […]
8a Certification 2026: Benefits, Requirements & How to Apply
For many small business owners, entering the federal contracting market can feel complicated. Finding the right opportunities is one challenge, but understanding where a small business fits within the federal procurement system can be just as difficult. The SBA 8(a) Business Development Program is designed to help eligible small businesses compete for federal contracts and […]
Why Construction Firms Need to Rethink the SBA 8(a) Program
Recent SBA rule changes regarding social disadvantage eligibility have expanded access to the 8(a) Business Development program. Under the updated guidelines, eligibility relies on proving individual social disadvantage through narrative evidence of past discrimination, opening the door for a broader range of business owners, including non-traditional applicants, who can demonstrate past economic or social barriers. […]
Proposed Social Disadvantage Requirements with 8(a) Firms Changing the Playing Field
In a move to clarify how Social Disadvantage is viewed by our current administration, the SBA’s proposed rule entitled “Reforms to Remove SBA’s 8(a) Program’s Rebuttable Presumption of Social Disadvantage for Individually Owned Firms Only; Reforms Do Not Impact Entity-Owned Firms,” landed earlier this month (June 11, 2026). And while some of it is certainly […]
The Structural Redesign of the SBA 8(a) Program: Why Certification Status Is No Longer Enough in 2026
A huge, formal redesign is set to take place in 2026 which will leave the 8(a) Business Development Program caught right in the middle of the crossfire. This will change federal contracting as we come to know. For a while now the 8(a) BD Program has operated as a structured ladder for small business development. […]
