Credit for Lower Tier Small Business Subcontracting

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is amending its regulations to implement section 1614 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (NDAA 2014). Section 1614 amended the Small Business Act to provide that where a prime contractor has an individual subcontracting plan for a specific prime contract with an executive agency, the prime contractor shall receive credit towards its subcontracting plan goals for awards made to small business concerns at any tier under the contract. The changes authorized by this statute will allow an other than small prime contractor that has an individual subcontracting plan for a contract to receive credit towards its small business subcontracting goals for subcontract awards made to small business concerns at any tier, to the extent reported on the subcontracting plans of its lower tier subcontractors. The final rule also implements the statutory requirements related to the subcontracting plans of all subcontractors that are required to maintain such plans, including the requirement to monitor subcontractors' performance and compliance toward reaching the goals set out in those plans as well as their compliance with subcontracting reporting requirements. SBA is also clarifying that the size standard for a particular subcontract must appear in the solicitation for the subcontract.