Upcoming SBA Tribal Consultation may shape future of 8(a) and Mentor Programs

June 4, 2025

Blog Post

The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it will hold a Tribal Consultation to discuss 8(a) Program and Mentor Program policies on Friday, June 13th in Anchorage, Alaska. This is a valuable policy-shaping opportunity that could influence how these programs are changed and administered in the years ahead. SBA’s outreach reflects a broader effort to ensure that its programs continue to meet the needs of tribally-owned firms participating in federal contracting.

The Federal Register announcement states that SBA is interested in getting comments on issues relating to “entity-owned firms,” so firms owned by Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs), and Community Development Corporations (CDCs) will also want to stay informed and consider submitting comments as opportunities arise.

McDonald Hopkins’ attorney Carissa Siebeneck Anderson will be attending this event virtually and will post key takeaways from the session afterwards.

SBA specifically requested comments regarding a variety of topics relating to the 8(a) Program and SBA Mentor Protégé Program, including:

General comments and input on “how the 8(a) program is working”
“Suggestions on potential avenues” for making the 8(a)program “more efficient or reducing the regulatory burden on participants in the program.”
Input on “best practices for how entity-owned firms market their capabilities to procuring agencies.”
Comments and input on “how to ensure the mentor-protégé program is operating as intended.”

If you’d like to attend this event virtually or in-person, the pre-registration deadline is Friday, June 6th. For pre-registration, contact Diane Cullo, Assistant Administrator, Office of Native American Affairs, SBA at diane.cullo@sba.gov or via Fax at 202.481.2177. Tribes and tribally-owned entities can also submit written comments as directed in Notice.

The amended recertification rules will affect the ability of small businesses and SBA program participants to continue to qualify for continued performance under awarded contracts and to bid for future contracts and orders that are set aside for small business or SBA program participants. The anticipated effects are causing waves in the small business government contracting communities, so we are here to provide a quick overview of the recertification rule changes.

The Trump administration is pushing out directives in the form of executive orders targeting DEI initiatives that intend to affect federal contractors and private sector employers generally; however, the legality of these directives is uncertain. We recommend that federal contractors and private sector employers review their current recruiting, hiring, performance, and training policies and initiatives. In this article, we offer federal contractors a roadmap on what to review and how to spot red flags.

McDonald Hopkins is pleased to announce the addition of Carissa Siebeneck Anderson as Counsel in the Mergers and Acquisitions and Government Contracting and Procurement Practice Groups. Carissa brings over a decade of extensive knowledge of government contracts law, corporate law, and regulatory compliance.

Upcoming SBA Tribal Consultation may shape future of 8(a) and Mentor Programs

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