Subpart 19.14 - Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program

(a) The Veterans Benefit Act of2003 (15 U.S.C. 657f) created the procurement program for small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans (commonly referred to as the "Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Program").

(b) The purpose of the SDVOSB Program is to provide Federal contracting assistance to service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.

The procedures in this subpart apply to all Federal agencies that employ one or more contracting officers.

(a) Status as an SDVOSB concern is determined by SBA in accordance with 13 CFR part 128; also see 19.307.

(b) For an SDVOSB concern that seeks an SDVOSB set-aside or sole-source contract, the contracting officer shall verify that the offeror—

(1) Effective January 1, 2024, is designated in the System for Award Management (SAM) as an SDVOSB concern certified by SBA; or

(2) Has represented that it is an SDVOSB concern in SAM and submitted an application for certification to SBA on or before December 31, 2023. Pending applications for certification are in the SBA Veteran Small Business Certification Program database at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov.

(c) If there is a decision issued by SBA as a result of a current eligibility examination finding that the concern did not qualify as an SDVOSB concern eligible under the SDVOSB Program or SBA denies a concern’s application for SDVOSB certification, the concern must update its SDVOSB status in SAM within 2 days of SBA’s final decision to reflect that the concern is not an eligible SDVOSB. SBA will update the concern’s SDVOSB status in SAM within 2 days of the concern’s failure to make the update.

(d) Effective January 1, 2024, a joint venture may be considered an SDVOSB concern eligible under the SDVOSB Program if—

(1) The joint venture qualifies as small under 19.301-1(a)(2)(i);

(2) The managing SDVOSB joint venture partner—

(i) Is designated in SAM as an SDVOSB concern certified by SBA; or

(ii) Has represented that it is an SDVOSB concern in SAM and submitted an application for certification to SBA on or before December 31, 2023. Pending applications for certification are in the SBA Veteran Small Business Certification database at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov; and

(3) The joint venture complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 128.402.

This subpart does not apply to-

(a) Requirements that can be satisfied through award to-

(1) Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (see subpart  8.6);

(2) AbilityOne participating non-profit agencies for the blind or severely disabled (see subpart  8.7);

(b) Orders under indefinite-delivery contracts (see subpart 16.5). (But see 16.505(b)(2)(i)(F) for discretionary set-asides of orders);

(c) Orders against Federal Supply Schedules (see subpart 8.4). (But see 8.405-5 for discretionary set-asides of orders); or

(d) Requirements currently being performed by an 8(a) participant or requirements SBA has accepted for performance under the authority of the 8(a) program, unless SBA has consented to release the requirements from the 8(a) program.

(a) The contracting officer-

(1) Shall comply with 19.203 before deciding to set aside an acquisition under the SDVOSB Program;

(2) May set-aside acquisitions exceeding the micro-purchase threshold for competition restricted to SDVOSB concerns when the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section can be satisfied; and

(3) Shall consider SDVOSB set-asides before considering SDVOSB sole source awards (see 19.1406) or small business set-asides (see subpart 19.5).

(b) A contracting officer may restrict competition to SDVOSB concerns eligible under the SDVOSB Program if there is a reasonable expectation based on market research that—

(1) Two or more SDVOSB concerns eligible under the SDVOSB Program will submit offers; and

(2) Award will be made at a fair market price.

(c) Effective January 1, 2024, the contracting officer shall—

(1) Verify that offers received are eligible for consideration for award by checking if the offeror—

(i) Is designated in SAM as an SDVOSB concern certified by SBA; or

(ii) Has represented that it is an SDVOSB concern in SAM and submitted an application for certification to SBA on or before December 31, 2023. Pending applications for certification are in the SBA Veteran Small Business Certification database at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov;

(2) Proceed with the offer evaluation, if the offeror meets the criteria in paragraph (c)(1)(i) or (ii) of this section; or

(3) Remove the offeror from consideration, if the offeror does not meet the criteria in paragraph (c)(1)(i) or (ii) of this section, as the offeror is not eligible for award.

(d) If the contracting officer receives only one acceptable offer from an SDVOSB concern eligible under the SDVOSB Program in response to a set-aside, the contracting officer should make an award to that concern. If the contracting officer receives no acceptable offers from SDVOSB concerns eligible under the SDVOSB Program, the SDVOSB set-aside shall be withdrawn and the requirement, if still valid, set aside for small business concerns, as appropriate (see 19.203).

(e) The procedures at 19.202-1 and, except for acquisitions not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, at 19.402 apply to this section. When the SBA intends to appeal a contracting officer’s decision to reject a recommendation of the SBA procurement center representative (or, if a procurement center representative is not assigned, see 19.402(a)) to set aside an acquisition for competition restricted to SDVOSB concerns, the SBA procurement center representative shall notify the contracting officer, in writing, of its intent within 5 working days of receiving the contracting officer’s notice of rejection. Upon receipt of notice of SBA’s intent to appeal, the contracting officer shall suspend action on the acquisition unless the head of the contracting activity makes a written determination that urgent and compelling circumstances, which significantly affect the interests of the Government, exist. Within 15 working days of SBA’s notification to the contracting officer, SBA shall file its formal appeal with the head of the contracting activity, or that agency may consider the appeal withdrawn. The head of the contracting activity shall reply to SBA within 15 working days of receiving the appeal. The decision of the head of the contracting activity shall be final.

(a) A contracting officer shall consider a contract award to a SDVOSB concern on a sole source basis (see 6.302-5(b)(6)), before considering small business set-asides (see 19.203 and subpart 19.5) provided none of the exclusions of 19.1404 apply and—

(1) The contracting officer does not have a reasonable expectation that offers would be received from two or more service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;

(2) The anticipated award price of the contract, including options, will not exceed-

(i) $7 million for a requirement within the NAICS codes for manufacturing; or

(ii) $4 million for a requirement within any other NAICS code;

(3) The requirement is not currently being performed by an 8(a) participant under the provisions of subpart  19.8 or has been accepted as a requirement by SBA under subpart  19.8;

(4) The service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern has been determined to be a responsible contractor with respect to performance; and

(5) Award can be made at a fair and reasonable price.

(b) Effective January 1, 2024, a contracting officer shall only award a sole-source contract to a concern that—

(1) Is designated in SAM as an SDVOSB concern certified by SBA; or

(2) Has represented that it is an SDVOSB concern in SAM and submitted an application for certification to SBA on or before December 31, 2023. Pending applications for certification are in the SBA Veteran Small Business Certification Program database at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov.

(c) The SBA has the right to appeal the contracting officer’s decision not to make an SDVOSB sole-source award.

(a) The contracting officer shall insert the clause at 52.219-27, Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole-Source Award to, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Concerns Eligible Under the SDVOSB Program, in solicitations and contracts for acquisitions that are set aside or awarded on a sole-source basis to, service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns under 19.1405 and 19.1406. This includes multiple-award contracts when orders may be set aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns as described in 8.405-5 and 16.505(b)(2)(i)(F) or when orders may be issued directly to one service-disabled veteran-owned small business contractor in accordance with 19.504(c)(1)(ii).

(b)For use of clause 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, see the prescription at 19.507(e).

(c)For use of clause 52.219-33, Nonmanufacturer Rule, see the prescription at 19.507(h).