10 U.S.C. § 4959: Advancing small business…

Summary

The Department of Defense must add a special clause to certain contracts it gives to small businesses. The clause must tell the contractor that taking the work could make the company too large to meet the small-business rules for that industry. It also must encourage the contractor to build skills and capabilities needed to compete as a bigger firm. The DoD may offer procurement technical help to those small businesses. Covered contract: a DoD contract to a qualified small business that will have an estimated annual value above the industry's receipt-based size limit, or above $70,000,000 if the industry uses an employee-based size standard. Covered small business: a qualified small business that has such a contract with the required clause.

Title 10, §4959

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Contract Clause Required.—

(1)The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment shall require the clause described in paragraph (2) to be included in each covered contract awarded by the Department of Defense.

(2)The clause described in this paragraph is a clause that—

(A)requires the contractor to acknowledge that acceptance of the contract may cause the business to exceed the applicable small business size standards (established pursuant to section 3(a) of the Small Business Act) for the industry concerned and that the contractor may no longer qualify as a small business concern for that industry; and

(B)encourages the contractor to develop capabilities and characteristics typically desired in contractors that are competitive as an other-than-small business in that industry.

(b)Availability of Assistance.—

Covered small businesses may be provided assistance as part of any procurement technical assistance furnished pursuant to this chapter.

(c)Definitions.—

In this section: (1)

(2)The term “covered small business” means a qualified small business concern as defined pursuant to section 3(a) of the Small Business Act that has entered into a contract with the Department of Defense that includes a contract clause described in subsection (a)(2).

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 3(a) of the Small Business Act, referred to in subsecs. (a)(2)(A) and (c)(1)(A), (2), is classified to section 632(a) of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. Codification Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(m)(2)(G), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2145, amended Pub. L. 116–283, § 1872(a)(11), which had originally transferred section 2417 of this title to this section. After amendment by Pub. L. 117–81, section 1872(a)(11) of Pub. L. 116–283 instead transferred section 2417 to section 4961 of this title.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, § 1872(a)(10), as amended by Pub. L. 117–81, § 1701(b)(24), (m)(2)(F), renumbered section 2419 of this title as this section. 2019—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted “Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment” for “Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2021 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below. Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

§4959 Advancing Small Business Growth