Eligibility

Mentor Eligibility
In order for a company to qualify as a Mentor, it must be currently performing under an approved, active subcontracting plan negotiated with DoD or another Federal agency pursuant to FAR 19.702 and currently eligible for the award of federal contracts. A Mentor firm may have multiple active Mentor-Protégé agreements. The Mentor must have a commitment to small business. The Mentor should have a corporate policy to promote, develop, and implement subcontracting opportunities with small businesses, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and/or Minority Institutions (MIs) and/or Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and/or Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs). The Mentor should have data from current and previous years documenting the Mentor's commitment to small businesses. The Mentor must be fully committed to a long-term relationship and obligation to its Protégé'(s). It is not uncommon for Mentors, in the Mentor-Protégé agreement, to commit to assisting and mentoring their Protégé'(s) far beyond the initial (funding) period. Small businesses may also qualify as mentors if they have graduated from 8(a) status.

Protege Eligibility
A firm may qualify as a Protégé if it is:

1. An SDB, a women-owned small business, a HUBZone small business, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, or an eligible entity employing the severely disabled;
   • Eligible for the award of Federal contracts; and
   • A small business according to the Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard for the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code that represents the contemplated supplies or services to be provided by the protégé firm to the mentor firm if the firm is representing itself as a qualifying entity under the definition at I-101.5(a) or I-101.6.
2. A business entity that meets the criteria above and is owned and controlled by either an Indian tribe as defined by section 8(a)(13) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(13)) or a Native Hawaiian Organization as defined by section 8(a)(15) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(15)); and is certified by the Small Business Administration as an SDB.
3. A self-certifying, qualified organization employing the severely disabled as defined in Section 8064A of Public Law 102-172.
4. A self-certifying, small business concern owned and controlled by women as defined in Section 8064A of Public Law 102-172.
5. A self-certifying, small business concern owned and controlled by Service-Disabled Veteran(s) as defined in Section 3(q) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(q)) and SBA’s implementing SDVOSB Program Regulations (13 C.F.R. 125).
6. A small business meeting all of the following criteria to qualify for the HUBZone program (see http://www.sba.gov/hubzone/).
   • Must be located in a “historically underutilized business zone” or HUBZone.
   • Must be owned and controlled by one or more US Citizens.
   • At least 35% of its employees must reside in a HUBZone.
7. Self-Certification: Mentor firms may rely in good faith on a written representation that self-certifying entities meet protégé eligibility requirements.
8. Active DoD MP Agreements: A protégé firm must pledge top-level commitment of the necessary time and resources to accept technological and business development advances and training provided through the program.

HBCU / MI Eligibility
The institutions and groups eligible to participate are defined in the following paragraphs.

1.Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as defined to be accredited institutions of higher education, which were established before 1964 with the principal mission of educating African Americans. An HBCU must be legally authorized by the state in which it is located. These institutions must be accredited two or four year colleges and universities that award baccalaureate degrees.

A current listing of institutions may be found at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html

2.Minority Institutions (MIs) are defined to be accredited institutions of higher education whose enrollment of a single minority, or a combination of minorities (American Indian; Alaskan Native; African American, not of Hispanic origin; Hispanic, including persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central or South American origin; Pacific Islander, and/or other ethnic group underrepresented in science and engineering), exceeds 50 percent of the total enrollment, or 25 percent of the enrollment if of Hispanic origin. Eligible institutions are certified by the Department of Education.

A current listing of institutions may be found at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html