Overview
This section establishes that the Small Business Administration (SBA) has the sole authority to determine 8(a) program eligibility and identifies the official systems used to verify a firm's status.
Key Rules
- Authority: The SBA is exclusively responsible for determining whether a small business qualifies as an 8(a) program participant.
- Regulatory Guidance: Eligibility criteria are defined by SBA regulations under 13 CFR 124.101 through 124.112, rather than the FAR itself.
- Verification Sources: Official 8(a) participant status must be designated in the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) and is also reflected in the System for Award Management (SAM).
Practical Implications
- Contracting officers must rely on SBA's designation in DSBS or SAM to verify eligibility and cannot independently certify a firm's 8(a) status.
- Small businesses must ensure their SBA certification is current and correctly reflected in federal databases to be eligible for 8(a) contract awards.