§475a — Title 6 Domestic Security | U.S. Code

§475a Mentor-protégé program

Title 6 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VIII— - COORDINATION WITH NON-FEDERAL ENTITIES; INSPECTOR GENERAL; UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE; COAST GUARD; GENERAL PROVISIONS › Part Part H— - Miscellaneous Provisions › § 475a

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Department must run a mentor‑protégé program that pairs larger mentor firms with smaller protégé firms to help the protégé win Department prime contracts and subcontracts. The Secretary must set rules for who can join, including a rule that a firm cannot be on any federal suspension or debarment list. Mentor and protégé teams must apply together to the Department’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. The application must describe the help to be given, a timeline with milestones, an estimate of mentor costs, and promises to send progress reports and to tell the Department of any change in eligibility or if they leave the program. The Office must approve or explain how to reapply within 60 days and can later cancel approval if needed. Approved pairs must sign up for at least 36 months. Mentors and protégés can get benefits such as evaluation credit on contracts that need subcontracting plans, credit for dollars awarded to a protégé as a subcontractor, and technical, management, financial, or other agreed help (including subcontracts). Starting within one year after December 23, 2022, and every year after, the Office must report to the House and Senate committees about every agreement, count protégés by categories (small businesses; veteran‑owned; service‑disabled veteran‑owned; HUBZone; socially and economically disadvantaged; women‑owned; historically Black colleges and universities; and minority‑serving institutions), describe the help given, list contracts where a mentor prime gave subcontracts to its protégé, and assess gains in protégé technical skills and contract awards. This program does not stop the Department from joining Small Business Administration programs, and if any conflict exists, this program controls. Definitions: historically Black college or university—per the higher education law; mentor firm—a for‑profit firm that is not a small business and that can and agrees to help a protégé; minority‑serving institution—types of colleges listed in higher education law; protégé firm—a small business, a historically Black college or university, or a minority‑serving institution eligible for Department contracts; the various small business terms use the meanings in title 15.

Title 6, §475a

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There is established in the Department a mentor-protégé program (in this section referred to as the “Program”) under which a mentor firm enters into an agreement with a protégé firm for the purpose of assisting the protégé firm to compete for prime contracts and subcontracts of the Department.

(b)The Secretary shall establish criteria for mentor firms and protégé firms to be eligible to participate in the Program, including a requirement that a firm is not included on any list maintained by the Federal Government of contractors that have been suspended or debarred.

(c)(1)The Secretary, acting through the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization of the Department, shall establish a process for submission of an application jointly by a mentor firm and the protégé firm selected by the mentor firm. The application shall include each of the following:

(A)A description of the assistance to be provided by the mentor firm, including, to the extent available, the number and a brief description of each anticipated subcontract to be awarded to the protégé firm.

(B)A schedule with milestones for achieving the assistance to be provided over the period of participation in the Program.

(C)An estimate of the costs to be incurred by the mentor firm for providing assistance under the Program.

(D)Attestations that Program participants will submit to the Secretary reports at times specified by the Secretary to assist the Secretary in evaluating the protégé firm’s developmental progress.

(E)Attestations that Program participants will inform the Secretary in the event of a change in eligibility or voluntary withdrawal from the Program.

(2)Not later than 60 days after receipt of an application pursuant to paragraph (1), the head of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization shall notify applicants of approval or, in the case of disapproval, the process for resubmitting an application for reconsideration.

(3)The head of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization may rescind the approval of an application under this subsection if it determines that such action is in the best interest of the Department.

(d)A mentor firm and protégé firm approved under subsection (c) shall enter into an agreement to participate in the Program for a period of not less than 36 months.

(e)A mentor firm and protégé firm that enter into an agreement under subsection (d) may receive the following Program benefits:

(1)With respect to an award of a contract that requires a subcontracting plan, a mentor firm may receive evaluation credit for participating in the Program.

(2)With respect to an award of a contract that requires a subcontracting plan, a mentor firm may receive credit for a protégé firm performing as a first tier subcontractor or a subcontractor at any tier in an amount equal to the total dollar value of any subcontracts awarded to such protégé firm.

(3)A protégé firm may receive technical, managerial, financial, or any other mutually agreed upon benefit from a mentor firm, including a subcontract award.

(f)Not later than one year after December 23, 2022, and annually thereafter, the head of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives a report that—

(1)identifies each agreement between a mentor firm and a protégé firm entered into under this section, including the number of protégé firm participants that are—

(A)small business concerns;

(B)small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans;

(C)small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans;

(D)qualified HUBZone small business concerns;

(E)small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals;

(F)small business concerns owned and controlled by women;

(G)historically Black colleges and universities; and

(H)minority-serving institutions;

(2)describes the type of assistance provided by mentor firms to protégé firms;

(3)identifies contracts within the Department in which a mentor firm serving as the prime contractor provided subcontracts to a protégé firm under the Program; and

(4)assesses the degree to which there has been—

(A)an increase in the technical capabilities of protégé firms; and

(B)an increase in the quantity and estimated value of prime contract and subcontract awards to protégé firms for the period covered by the report.

(g)Nothing in this section may be construed to limit, diminish, impair, or otherwise affect the authority of the Department to participate in any program carried out by or requiring approval of the Small Business Administration or adopt or follow any regulation or policy that the Administrator of the Small Business Administration may promulgate, except that, to the extent that any provision of this section (including subsection (h)) conflicts with any other provision of law, regulation, or policy, this section shall control.

(h)In this section:

(1)The term “historically Black college or university” has the meaning given the term “part B institution” in section 1061 of title 20.

(2)The term “mentor firm” means a for-profit business concern that is not a small business concern that—

(A)has the ability to assist and commits to assisting a protégé to compete for Federal prime contracts and subcontracts; and

(B)satisfies any other requirements imposed by the Secretary.

(3)The term “minority-serving institution” means an institution of higher education described in section 1067q(a) of title 20.11 See References in Text note below.

(4)The term “protégé firm” means a small business concern, a historically Black college or university, or a minority-serving institution that—

(A)is eligible to enter into a prime contract or subcontract with the Department; and

(B)satisfies any other requirements imposed by the Secretary.

(5)The terms “small business concern”, “small business concern owned and controlled by veterans”, “small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans”, “qualified HUBZone small business concern”, “and small 22 So in original. The opening quotation marks preceding “and” probably should precede “small”. business concern owned and controlled by women” have the meanings given such terms, respectively, under section 632 of title 15. The term “small business concern owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals” has the meaning given such term in section 637(d)(3)(C) of title 15.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 1067q(a) of title 20, referrred to in subsec. (h)(3), was in the original “section 317 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a))” and was translated as reading “section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.