[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 48, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 48CFR19.702]

[Page 361-362]
 
            TITLE 48--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM
 
                CHAPTER 1--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION
 
PART 19_SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS--Table of Contents
 
         Subpart 19.7_The Small Business Subcontracting Program
 
Sec.  19.702  Statutory requirements.

    Any contractor receiving a contract for more 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) 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:
    (1) In negotiated acquisitions, each solicitation of offers to 
perform a contract or contract modification, that individually is 
expected to exceed $500,000 ($1,000,000 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.
    (2) In sealed bidding acquisitions, each invitation for bids to 
perform a contract or contract modification, that individually is 
expected to exceed $500,000 ($1,000,000 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.
    (b) Subcontracting plans (see subparagraphs (a)(1) and (2) above) 
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 to contracts within the general scope of the 
contract that do not contain the clause at 52.219-8, Utilization of 
Small Business Concerns (or equivalent prior clauses; e.g., contracts 
awarded before the enactment of Public Law 95-507).
    (c) As stated in 15 U.S.C. 637(d)(8), 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)(11), certain costs incurred by 
a mentor firm in providing developmental assistance to a Protege firm 
under the Department of Defense Pilot Mentor-Protege Program, may be 
credited as subcontract awards to a small disadvantaged business for the 
purpose of determining whether the mentor firm attains a small 
disadvantaged

[[Page 362]]

business goal under any subcontracting plan entered into with any 
executive agency. However, the mentor-protege agreement must have been 
approved by the--

Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Office of the 
Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics), 1777 
N. Kent Street, Suite 9100, Arlington, VA 22209


before developmental assistance costs may be credited against 
subcontracting goals. A list of approved agreements may be obtained at 
http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/mentor--protege/ or by calling 1-800-553-
1858.

[48 FR 42240, Sept. 19, 1983, as amended at 50 FR 1743, Jan. 11, 1985; 
50 FR 52429, Dec. 23, 1985; 50 FR 27562, July 3, 1985; 51 FR 27116, July 
29, 1986; 54 FR 30709, July 21, 1989; 56 FR 41731, Aug. 22, 1991; 60 FR 
48262, Sept. 18, 1995; 61 FR 2638, Jan. 26, 1996; 61 FR 39190, July 26, 
1996; 61 FR 67420, Dec. 20, 1996; 62 FR 40236, July 25, 1997; 63 FR 
36122, July 1, 1998; 63 FR 70270, Dec. 18, 1998; 64 FR 72451, Dec. 27, 
1999; 65 FR 60545, Oct. 11, 2000; 68 FR 28081, May 22, 2003]