Subpart 19.7 - The Small Business Subcontracting Program

As used in this subpart-

Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) means any Regional Corporation, Village Corporation, Urban Corporation, or Group Corporation organized under the laws of the State of Alaska in accordance with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended ( 43 U.S.C. 1601 , et seq .) and which is considered a minority and economically disadvantaged concern under the criteria at 43 U.S.C. 1626(e)(1) . This definition also includes ANC direct and indirect subsidiary corporations, joint ventures, and partnerships that meet the requirements of 43 U.S.C. 1626(e)(2) .

Commercial plan means a subcontracting plan (including goals) that covers the offeror ’s fiscal year and that applies to the entire production of commercial products and performance of commercial services sold by either the entire company or a portion thereof ( e.g., division, plant, or product line).

Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS ) means the Governmentwide, electronic, web-based system for small business subcontracting program reporting.

Failure to make a good faith effort to comply with the subcontracting plan means willful or intentional failure to perform in accordance with the requirements of the subcontracting plan, or willful or intentional action to frustrate the plan.

Indian tribe means any Indian tribe, band, group, pueblo, or community, including native villages and native groups (including corporations organized by Kenai, Juneau, Sitka, and Kodiak) as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act ( 43 U.S.C.A. 1601 et seq .), that is recognized by the Federal Government as eligible for services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in accordance with 25 U.S.C. 1452(c) . This definition also includes Indian-owned economic enterprises that meet the requirements of 25U. S.C. 1452(e) .

Individual subcontracting plan means a subcontracting plan that covers the entire contract period (including option periods), applies to a specific contract, and has goals that are based on the offeror ’s planned subcontracting in support of the specific contract, except that indirect costs incurred for common or joint purposes may be allocated on a prorated basis to the contract.

Master subcontracting plan means a subcontracting plan that contains all the required elements of an individual subcontracting plan , except goals, and may be incorporated into individual subcontracting plans , provided the master subcontracting plan has been approved.

Reduced Payment means a payment that is for less than the amount agreed upon in a subcontract in accordance with its terms and conditions, for supplies and services for which the Government has paid the prime contractor.

Subcontract means any agreement (other than one involving an employer-employee relationship) entered into by a Government prime contractor or subcontractor calling for supplies and/or services required for performance of the contract, contract modification , or subcontract .

Total contract dollars means the final anticipated dollar value, including the dollar value of all options .

Untimely Payment means a payment to a subcontractor that is more than 90 days past due under the terms and conditions of a subcontract for supplies and services for which the Government has paid the prime contractor.

Any contractor receiving a contract with a value greater than the simplified acquisition threshold must agree in the contract that small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns will have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in contract performance consistent with its efficient performance. It is further the policy of the United States that its prime contractors establish procedures to ensure the timely payment of amounts due pursuant to the terms of their subcontracts with small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns .

(a)

(1) Except as stated in paragraph (b) of this section, section 8(d) of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 637( d)) imposes the following requirements regarding subcontracting with small businesses and small business subcontracting plans:

(i) In negotiated acquisitions , each solicitation of offers to perform a contract that is expected to exceed $750,000 ($1.5 million for construction ) and that has subcontracting possibilities, shall require the apparently successful offeror to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan. If the apparently successful offeror fails to negotiate a subcontracting plan acceptable to the contracting officer within the time limit prescribed by the contracting officer , the offeror will be ineligible for award. For a multiple-award contract with more than one North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, see paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section.

(ii) In sealed bidding acquisitions , each invitation for bids to perform a contract that is expected to exceed $750,000 ($1.5 million for construction ) and that has subcontracting possibilities, shall require the bidder selected for award to submit a subcontracting plan. If the selected bidder fails to submit a plan within the time limit prescribed by the contracting officer , the bidder will be ineligible for award. For a multiple-award contract with more than one NAICS code, see paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section.

(iii) Each contract modification that causes the value of a contract without a subcontracting plan to exceed $750,000 ($1.5 million for construction ), shall require the contractor to submit a subcontracting plan for the contract, if the contracting officer determines that subcontracting opportunities exist. For a multiple-award contract with more than one NAICS code, see paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section.

(2)

(i) For a multiple-award contract with more than one NAICS code, the solicitation referenced in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section shall require the apparently successful offeror to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan for either the distinct portion(s) or category(ies) of their proposal for which the offeror is other than small or for the entirety of their proposal, at the offeror 's discretion. When determining the need for a subcontracting plan, the contracting officer shall consider the cumulative dollar value of the portion(s) or category(ies) of the offeror 's proposal for which the offeror is other than small.

(ii) For a multiple-award contract with more than one NAICS code, the modification referenced in paragraph (a)(1)(iii) of this section shall require the contractor to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan for either the distinct portion(s) or category(ies) of the contract for which the contractor is other than small or for the entirety of their contract, at the contractor's discretion. When determining the need for a subcontracting plan, the contracting officer shall consider the cumulative dollar value of the portion(s) or category(ies) of the contract for which the contractor is other than small.

(b) Subcontracting plans (see paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section) are not required–

(1) From small business concerns ;

(2) For personal services contracts ;

(3) For contracts or contract modifications that will be performed entirely outside of the United States and its outlying areas ; or

(4) For modifications that are within the scope of the contract and the contract does not contain the clause at 52.219-8 , Utilization of Small Business Concerns .

(c) As stated in 15 U.S.C. 637(d)(9) , any contractor or subcontractor failing to comply in good faith with the requirements of the subcontracting plan is in material breach of its contract. Further, 15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)(F) directs that a contractor’s failure to make a good faith effort to comply with the requirements of the subcontracting plan shall result in the imposition of liquidated damages.

(d) As authorized by 15 U.S.C. 637(d)(12) , certain costs incurred by a mentor firm in providing developmental assistance to a protégé firm under the Department of Defense Pilot Mentor-Protégé Program, may be credited as if they were subcontract awards to a protégé firm for the purpose of determining whether the mentor firm attains the applicable goals under any subcontracting plan entered into with any executive agency . However, the mentor-protégé agreement must have been approved by the Director, Small Business Programs of the cognizant DoD military department or defense agency, before developmental assistance costs may be credited against subcontract goals. A list of approved agreements may be obtained at https://business.defense.gov/Programs/Mentor-Protege-Program/.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, to be eligible as a subcontractor under the program, a concern must represent itself as a small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, or women-owned small business concern .

(1) To represent itself as a small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, or women-owned small business concern , a concern must meet the appropriate definition (see 2.101 and 19.001 ). For subcontracting purposes, a concern is small if it does not exceed the size standard for the NAICS code that the prime contractor determines best describes the product or service being acquired by the subcontract .

(2)

(i) The prime contractor may accept a subcontractor's written representations of its size and socioeconomic status as a small business, small disadvantaged business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, or a women-owned small business, if the subcontractor represents that the size and socioeconomic status representation with its offer are current, accurate, and complete as of the date of the offer for the subcontracts ; or

(ii) The prime contractor may accept a subcontractor's representation of its size and socioeconomic status as a small business, small disadvantaged business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, or a women-owned small business in the System for Award Management (SAM ) if–

(A) The subcontractor is registered in SAM; and

(B) The subcontractor represents that the size and socioeconomic status representations made in SAM are current, accurate and complete as of the date of the offer for the subcontract .

(iii) The prime contractor may not require the use of SAM for the purposes of representing size or socioeconomic status in connection with a subcontract .

(iv) In accordance with 13 CFR 121.411, 126.900, 127.700, and 128.600, a prime contractor acting in good faith is not liable for misrepresentations made by its subcontractors regarding the subcontractor's size or socioeconomic status.

(b) The contractor, the contracting officer , or any other interested party can challenge a subcontractor's size status representation by filing a protest, in accordance with 13 CFR 121.1001 through 121.1008.

(c)

(1) In accordance with 43 U.S.C. 1626 , the following procedures apply:

(i) Subcontracts awarded to an ANC or Indian tribe shall be counted towards the subcontracting goals for small business and small disadvantaged business (SDB) concerns , regardless of the size or Small Business Administration certification status of the ANC or Indian tribe.

(ii) Where one or more subcontractors are in the subcontract tier between the prime contractor and the ANC or Indian tribe, the ANC or Indian tribe shall designate the appropriate contractor(s) to count the subcontract towards its small business and small disadvantaged business subcontracting goals.

(A) In most cases, the appropriate contractor is the contractor that awarded the subcontract to the ANC or Indian tribe.

(B) If the ANC or Indian tribe designates more than one contractor to count the subcontract toward its goals, the ANC or Indian tribe shall designate only a portion of the total subcontract award to each contractor. The sum of the amounts designated to various contractors cannot exceed the total value of the subcontract .

(C) The ANC or Indian tribe shall give a copy of the written designation to the contracting officer , the prime contractor, and the subcontractors in between the prime contractor and the ANC or Indian tribe within 30 days of the date of the subcontract award.

(D) If the contracting officer does not receive a copy of the ANC's or the Indian tribe’s written designation within 30 days of the subcontract award, the contractor that awarded the subcontract to the ANC or Indian tribe will be considered the designated contractor.

(2) A contractor acting in good faith may rely on the written representation of an ANC or an Indian tribe as to the status of the ANC or Indian tribe unless an interested party challenges its status or the contracting officer has independent reason to question its status. In the event of a challenge of a representation of an ANC or Indian tribe, the interested parties shall follow the procedures at 26.103 (b) through (e).

(d) Protests challenging the socioeconomic status of a HUBZone small business concern must be filed in accordance with 13 CFR 126.801 .

(a) Each subcontracting plan required under 19.301-2 (e) and 19.702 (a)(1)(i), (ii), and (iii) shall include-

(1) Separate percentage goals for using small business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business (including ANCs and Indian tribes) and women-owned small business concerns as subcontractors;

(2) A statement of the total dollars planned to be subcontracted and a statement of the total dollars planned to be subcontracted to small business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business (including ANCs and Indian tribes) and women-owned small business concerns , as a percentage of total subcontract dollars. For individual subcontracting plans only, a contracting officer may require the goals referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this section to be calculated as a percentage of total contract dollars , in addition to the goals established as a percentage of total subcontract dollars;

(3) A description of the principal types of supplies and services to be subcontracted and an identification of types of supplies or services planned for subcontracting to small business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), and women-owned small business concerns ;

(4) A description of the method used to develop the subcontracting goals;

(5) A description of the method used to identify potential sources for solicitation purposes;

(6) A statement as to whether or not the offeror included indirect costs in establishing subcontracting goals (for commercial plans, see paragraph (d) of this section), and a description of the method used to determine the proportionate share of indirect costs to be incurred with small business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business (including ANCs and Indian tribes), and women-owned small business concerns ;

(7) The name of an individual employed by the offeror who will administer the offeror ’s subcontracting program, and a description of the duties of the individual;

(8) A description of the efforts the offeror will make to ensure that small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns have an equitable opportunity to compete for subcontracts ;

(9) Assurances that the offeror will include the clause at 52.219-8 , Utilization of Small Business Concerns (see 19.708 (a)), in all subcontracts that offer further subcontracting opportunities, and that the offeror will require all subcontractors (except small business concerns ) that receive subcontracts in excess of $750,000 ($1.5 million for construction ) to adopt a plan that complies with the requirements of the clause at 52.219-9 , Small Business Subcontracting Plan (see 19.708 (b));

(10) Assurances that the offeror will-

(i) Cooperate in any studies or surveys as may be required;

(ii) Submit periodic reports so that the Government can determine the extent of compliance by the offeror with the subcontracting plan;

(iii) After November 30, 2017, include subcontracting data for each order when reporting subcontracting achievements for indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with individual subcontracting plans where the contract is intended for use by multiple agencies;

(iv) Submit the Individual Subcontract Report (ISR), and the Summary Subcontract Report (SSR) using the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS ) ( http://www.esrs.gov ), following the instructions in the eSRS.

(A) The ISR shall be submitted semi-annually during contract performance for the periods ending March 31 and September 30. A report is also required for each contract within 30 days of contract completion. Reports are due 30 days after the close of each reporting period, unless otherwise directed by the contracting officer . Reports are required when due, regardless of whether there has been any subcontracting activity since the inception of the contract or the previous reporting period. When a contracting officer rejects an ISR, the contractor is required to submit a revised ISR within 30 days of receiving the notice of the ISR rejection.

(B) The SSR shall be submitted annually by October 30 for the twelve-month period ending September 30. When an SSR is rejected, the contractor is required to submit a revised SSR within 30 days of receiving the notice of SSR rejection;

(v) Ensure that its subcontractors with subcontracting plans agree to submit the ISR and/or the SSR using the eSRS;

(vi) Provide its prime contract number, its unique entity identifier , and the e-mail address of the offeror ’s official responsible for acknowledging receipt of or rejecting the ISRs to all first-tier subcontractors with subcontracting plans so they can enter this information into the eSRS when submitting their ISRs; and

(vii) Require that each subcontractor with a subcontracting plan provide the prime contract number, its own unique entity identifier , and the e-mail address of the subcontractor’s official responsible for acknowledging receipt of or rejecting the ISRs, to its subcontractors with subcontracting plans;

(11) A description of the types of records that will be maintained concerning procedures adopted to comply with the requirements and goals in the plan, including establishing source lists; and a description of the offeror ’s efforts to locate small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns and to award subcontracts to them;

(12) Assurances that the offeror will make a good faith effort to acquire articles, equipment, supplies , services, or materials, or obtain the performance of construction work from the small business concerns that the offeror used in preparing the bid or proposal, in the same or greater scope, amount, and quality used in preparing and submitting the bid or proposal. Responding to a request for a quote does not constitute use in preparing a bid or proposal. An offeror used a small business concern in preparing the bid or proposal if–

(i) The offeror identifies the small business concern as a subcontractor in the bid or proposal or associated small business subcontracting plan, to furnish certain supplies or perform a portion of the contract; or

(ii) The offeror used the small business concern 's pricing or cost information or technical expertise in preparing the bid or proposal, where there is written evidence of an intent or understanding that the small business concern will be awarded a subcontract for the related work if the offeror is awarded the contract;

(13) Assurances that the contractor will provide the contracting officer with a written explanation if the contractor fails to acquire articles, equipment, supplies , services or materials or obtain the performance of construction work as described in (a)(12) of this section. This written explanation will be submitted to the contracting officer within 30 days of contract completion;

(14) Assurances that the contractor will not prohibit a subcontractor from discussing with the contracting officer any material matter pertaining to payment to or utilization of a subcontractor; and

(15) Assurances that the offeror will pay its small business subcontractors on time and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the subcontract , and notify the contracting officer if the offeror pays a reduced or an untimely payment to a small business subcontractor (see 52.242-5 ).

(b) Contractors may establish, on a plant or division-wide basis, a master plan (see 19.701 ) that contains all the elements required by the clause at 52.219-9 , Small Business Subcontracting Plan, except goals. Master plans shall be effective for a 3-year period after approval by the contracting officer ; however, it is incumbent upon contractors to maintain and update master plans. Changes required to update master plans are not effective until approved by the contracting officer . A master plan, when incorporated in an individual plan, shall apply to that contract throughout the life of the contract.

(c) For multiyear contracts or contracts containing options , the cumulative value of the basic contract and all options is considered in determining whether a subcontracting plan is necessary. If a subcontracting plan is necessary and the offeror is submitting an individual subcontracting plan , the individual subcontracting plan shall contain all the elements required by paragraph (a) of this section and shall contain separate statements and goals based on total subcontract dollars for the basic contract and for each option .

(d) A commercial plan (as defined in 19.701 ) is the preferred type of subcontracting plan for contractors furnishing commercial products and commercial services . The subcontracting goals established for a commercial plan shall include all indirect costs with the exception of those such as the following: Employee salaries and benefits; payments for petty cash; depreciation ; interest; income taxes; property taxes; lease payments; bank fees; fines, claims , and dues; original equipment manufacturer relationships during warranty periods (negotiated up front with the product); utilities and other services purchased from a municipality or an entity solely authorized by the municipality to provide those services in a particular geographical region; and philanthropic contributions. Once a contractor's commercial plan has been approved, the Government shall not require another subcontracting plan from the same contractor while the plan remains in effect, as long as the product or service being provided by the contractor continues to meet the definition of a commercial product or commercial service . The contractor shall —

(1) Submit the commercial plan to either the first contracting officer awarding a contract subject to the plan during the contractor’s fiscal year, or, if the contractor has ongoing contracts with commercial plans, to the contracting officer responsible for the contract with the latest completion date. The contracting officer shall negotiate the commercial plan for the Government. The approved commercial plan shall remain in effect during the contractor’s fiscal year for all Government contracts in effect during that period;

(2) Submit a new commercial plan, 30 working days before the end of the Contractor’s fiscal year, to the contracting officer responsible for the uncompleted Government contract with the latest completion date. The contractor must provide to each contracting officer responsible for an ongoing contract subject to the plan, the identity of the contracting officer that will be negotiating the new plan;

(3) When the new commercial plan is approved, provide a copy of the approved plan to each contracting officer responsible for an ongoing contract that is subject to the plan; and

(4) Comply with the reporting requirements stated in paragraph (a)(10) of this section by submitting one SSR that includes all indirect costs , except as described in paragraph (d) of this section, in eSRS, for all contracts covered by its commercial plan. This report will be acknowledged or rejected in eSRS by the contracting officer who approved the plan. The report shall be submitted within 30 days after the end of the Government’s fiscal year.

The administrative contracting officer is responsible for assisting in evaluating subcontracting plans, and for monitoring, evaluating, and documenting contractor performance under the clause prescribed in 19.708 (b) and any subcontracting plan included in the contract. The contract administration office shall provide the necessary information and advice to support the contracting officer , as appropriate, by furnishing-

(a) Documentation on the contractor’s performance and compliance with subcontracting plans under previous contracts;

(b) Information on the extent to which the contractor is meeting the plan’s goals for subcontracting with eligible small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns ;

(c) Information on whether the contractor’s efforts to ensure the participation of small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns are in accordance with its subcontracting plan;

(d) Information on whether the contractor is requiring its subcontractors to adopt similar subcontracting plans;

(e) Immediate notice if, during performance, the contractor is failing to meet its commitments under the clause prescribed in 19.708 (b) or the subcontracting plan;

(f) Immediate notice and rationale if, during performance, the contractor is failing to comply in good faith with the subcontracting plan (see 19.705-7 (b) for more information on the determination of good faith effort); and

(g) Immediate notice that performance under a contract is complete, that the goals were or were not met, and, if not met, whether there is any indication of a lack of a good faith effort to comply with the subcontracting plan.

(a) Under the program, the SBA may -

(1) Assist both Government agencies and contractors in carrying out their responsibilities with regard to subcontracting plans;

(2) Review (within 5 working days) any solicitation that meets the dollar threshold in 19.702 (a)(1)(i) or (ii) before the solicitation is issued;

(3) Review (within 5 working days) before execution any negotiated contractual document requiring a subcontracting plan, including the plan itself, and submit recommendations to the contracting officer , which shall be advisory in nature; and

(4) Evaluate compliance with subcontracting plans, either on a contract-by-contract basis, or, in the case of contractors having multiple contracts, on an aggregate basis.

(b) The SBA is not authorized to-

(1) Prescribe the extent to which any contractor or subcontractor shall subcontract ,

(2) Specify concerns to which subcontracts will be awarded, or

(3) Exercise any authority regarding the administration of individual prime contracts or subcontracts .

(a) Insert the clause at 52.219-8 , Utilization of Small Business Concerns , in solicitations and contracts when the contract amount is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold unless-

(1) A personal services contract is contemplated (see 37.104 ); or

(2) The contract, together with all of its subcontracts , will be performed entirely outside of the United States and its outlying areas .

(b)

(1) Insert the clause at 52.219-9 , Small Business Subcontracting Plan, in solicitations and contracts that offer subcontracting possibilities, are expected to exceed $750,000 ($1.5 million for construction of any public facility), and are required to include the clause at 52.219-8 , Utilization of Small Business Concerns , unless the acquisition is set aside or is to be accomplished under the 8(a) program. When-

(i) Contracting by sealed bidding rather than by negotiation, the contracting officer shall use the clause with its Alternate I;

(ii) Contracting by negotiation, and subcontracting plans are required with initial proposals as provided for in 19.705-2 (d), the contracting officer shall use the clause with its Alternate II;

(iii) The contract action will not be reported in the Federal Procurement Data System pursuant to 4.606 (c)(5), or (c)(6), the contracting officer shall use the clause with its Alternate III; or

(iv) Incorporating a subcontracting plan due to a modification as provided for in 19.702 (a)(1)(iii), the contracting officer shall use the clause with its Alternate IV.

(2) Insert the clause at 52.219-16 , Liquidated Damages-Subcontracting Plan, in all solicitations and contracts containing the clause at 52.219-9 , Small Business Subcontracting Plan, or the clause with its Alternate I, II, III, or IV.

(c)

(1) The contracting officer may , when contracting by negotiation, insert in solicitations and contracts a clause substantially the same as the clause at 52.219-10 , Incentive Subcontracting Program, when a subcontracting plan is required (see 19.702 ), and inclusion of a monetary incentive is, in the judgment of the contracting officer , necessary to increase subcontracting opportunities for small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns , and is commensurate with the efficient and economical performance of the contract; unless the conditions in paragraph (c)(3) of this section are applicable. The contracting officer may vary the terms of the clause as specified in paragraph (c)(2) of this section.

(2) Various approaches may be used in the development of small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns ’ subcontracting incentives. They can take many forms, from a fully quantified schedule of payments based on actual subcontract achievement to an award-fee approach employing subjective evaluation criteria (see paragraph (c)(3) of this section). The incentive should not reward the contractor for results other than those that are attributable to the contractor’s efforts under the incentive subcontracting program.

(3) As specified in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, the contracting officer may include small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business subcontracting as one of the factors to be considered in determining the award fee in a cost-plus-award-fee contract; in such cases, however, the contracting officer shall not use the clause at 52.219-10 , Incentive Subcontracting Program.