Small Business: Status of SBA's 8(a) Minority Business Development Program.Statement of Judy A. England-Joseph, Director, Housing and Community Development Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division

摘要

We are pleased to be here today to discuss the Small Business Administration's(SBA) 8(a) minority business development program. Our testimony today focuses on SBA's progress in implementing several changes that are of special interest to the Committee and that are designed to make the 8(a) program an effective business development program. These are (1) requiring that 8(a) contracts with a large dollar value be awarded competitively, (2) distributing 8(a) contracts so that a larger number of firms receive them, (3) ensuring that firms rely less on 8(a) contracts--by increasing their business that does not come through the 8(a) program--as they move through the 9-year program period, and (4) 'graduating' from the program firms that have demonstrated that they can survive without 8(a) contracts. As requested, we will also provide information on SBA's denials of firms seeking to enter the program, and discuss SBA's efforts to provide management and technical assistance to firms in the 8(a) program.