Department of Defense Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Mentor-Protégé Program
The Department of Defense (DoD) Mentor-Protégé Program allows small disadvantaged businesses and women-owned small businesses to participate as protégés. In May 2005 the DoD issued an interim rule extending this program through 2013. It also expands the program to permit service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOB) and Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small businesses to participate in the program as protégé firms.
The DoD Mentor-Protégé Program assists small businesses ("protégés") to successfully compete for prime contract and subcontract awards by partnering with large firms (mentors) under individual, project-based agreements. These partnerships, in use since 1991, have delivered products and services specializing in environmental remediation, engineering services, information technology, manufacturing, telecommunications, health care, and more. The new Mentor-Protégé agreements have focused on corrosion engineering, information assurance, and circuit board/metal component manufacturing. The DoD hopes that future agreements will focus on new technology areas like robotics, radio identification devices, and enhanced security assurance.
The first act of participation for either party, mentor or protégé, is to find a counterpart. The protégé must keep in mind that a small mentor might be more responsive to their needs. More importantly is that the mentor and the protégé must be compatible. A Mentor-Protégé Agreement is very much like a marriage, in which the two parties must be able to communicate openly, fulfill each other's needs, as well as remain committed to the agreement. Keeping these ideals in mind, either party must locate a willing counterpart. Once the suitable partner is located, they must meet the requirements of the program.
A mentor firm must have at least one active subcontracting plan and be eligible for federal contracts. When the requirements have been met, the mentor must complete a Mentor Application (if the company is not already a mentor) and submit it prior to the agreement. Upon submitting the Mentor Application, the two parties should discuss what both hope to accomplish through the agreement, setting goals for themselves before submitting the Mentor-Protégé Agreement Application.
In addition to the DoD Mentor-Protégé Program (Army, Navy, Air Force), there are many other federal agencies that have mentor-protégé programs like the Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Logistics Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Department of Treasury, Small Business Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of Energy.
For additional information please reference the mentor-protégé
home page at http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/mentor_protege/
or contact the nearest North Carolina PTAC counselor.