[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 48, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 48CFR19.502-3]

[Page 355-356]
 
            TITLE 48--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM
 
                CHAPTER 1--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION
 
PART 19--SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS--Table of Contents
 
               Subpart 19.5--Set-Asides for Small Business
 
Sec. 19.502-3  Partial set-asides.

    (a) The contracting officer shall set aside a portion of an 
acquisition, except for construction, for exclusive small business 
participation when--
    (1) A total set-aside is not appropriate (see 19.502-2);
    (2) The requirement is severable into two or more economic 
production runs or reasonable lots;
    (3) One or more small business concerns are expected to have the 
technical competence and productive capacity to satisfy the set-aside 
portion of the requirement at a fair market price;
    (4) The acquisition is not subject to simplified acquisition 
procedures; and
    (5) A partial set-aside shall not be made if there is a reasonable 
expectation that only two concerns (one large and one small) with 
capability will respond with offers unless authorized by the head of a 
contracting activity on a case-by-case basis. Similarly, a class of 
acquisitions, not including construction, may be partially set aside. 
Under certain specified conditions, partial set-asides may be used in 
conjunction with multiyear contracting procedures.
    (b) When the contracting officer determines that a portion of an 
acquisition is to be set aside, the requirement shall be divided into a 
set-aside portion and a non-set-aside portion, each of which shall (1) 
be an economic production run or reasonable lot and (2) have terms and a 
delivery schedule comparable to the other. When practicable, the set-
aside portion should make maximum use of small business capacity.
    (c)(1) The contracting officer shall award the non-set-aside portion 
using normal contracting procedures.
    (2)(i) After all awards have been made on the non-set-aside portion, 
the

[[Page 356]]

contracting officer shall negotiate with eligible concerns on the set-
aside portion, as provided in the solicitation, and make award. 
Negotiations shall be conducted only with those offerors who have 
submitted responsive offers on the non-set-aside portion. Negotations 
shall be conducted with small business concerns in the order of priority 
as indicated in the solicitation (but see (ii) below). The set-aside 
portion shall be awarded as provided in the solicitation. An offeror 
entitled to receive the award for quantities of an item under the non-
set-aside portion and who accepts the award of additional quantities 
under the set-aside portion shall not be requested to accept a lower 
price because of the increased quantities of the award, nor shall 
negotiation be conducted with a view to obtaining such a lower price 
based solely upon receipt of award of both portions of the acquisition. 
This does not prevent acceptance by the contracting officer of voluntary 
reductions in the price from the low eligible offeror before award, 
acceptance of voluntary refunds, or the change of prices after award by 
negotiation of a contract modification.
    (ii) If equal low offers are received on the non-set-aside portion 
from concerns eligible for the set-aside portion, the concern that is 
awarded the non-set-aside part of the acquisition shall have first 
priority with respect to negotiations for the set-aside.

[48 FR 42240, Sept. 19, 1989, as amended at 53 FR 43390, Oct. 26, 1988; 
60 FR 34757, July 3, 1995]