Glossary / Programs, Business
SBA Mentor-Protege ProgramMPP
SBA's All Small Mentor-Protege Program lets any small business take on a mentor, large or small, under a written agreement SBA approves. The mentor provides business development help in areas such as management, technical capability, financing, contracting and past performance. An approved pair may form a joint venture that competes for set-aside contracts as a small business, and the mentor may own a minority share of the protege. A protege may have two mentors, and the agreement runs up to six years. Several agencies, DoW among them, also run their own mentor-protege programs with reimbursed mentor costs.
Why it matters to your pipeline
The program is the most direct way for a small firm to borrow a large one's past performance and systems without losing its small status. For the mentor it is a route to set-aside work and subcontracting credit. The relationship works when the protege has a plan for what it needs to learn and a vehicle in mind to pursue together.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
A HUBZone construction firm signs an SBA-approved mentor-protege agreement with a national contractor. Their joint venture wins a $45M HUBZone set-aside for a federal courthouse renovation, and the protege runs the job with the mentor's estimating and safety systems.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.