On December 5, 2025, the SBA issued formal data and document requests to certified 8(a) Business Development Program participants. This follows SBA’s June 2025 announcement that it would implement an “immediate and full-scale audit” of the 8(a) Program. The requests, issued by the SBA Office of General Counsel via email, justified the audit as follows: “Recent reports by journalists and independent investigators have raised questions about widespread misconduct within the 8(a) Businesses [sic] Development Program, adding to years of credible concerns that the program designed to serve ‘socially and economically disadvantaged’ businesses has become a vehicle for institutionalized abuse at taxpayer expense.” Given the wide-ranging scope of the full-program audit, PilieroMazza launched the “8(a) Audit Response Task Force” to assist clients in navigating SBA’s audit requests and any ongoing or future investigations, inquiries, and litigation arising out of the audit.

8(a) Audit Response Task Force:

Matthew E. Feinberg

202.655.4177

False Claims Act

Audits & Investigations

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Meghan F. Leemon

303.228.6990

Small Business Programs

Government Contracts

Jacqueline K. Unger

202.655.4170

Government Contracts

False Claims Act

Audits & Investigations

Akinyi Orinda

202.655.4167

False Claims Act

Audits & Investigations

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Presentations and Articles

Client Alerts

  1. SBA Data Call: Deadline Extended Until January 19, 2026
  2. SBA’s 8(a) Program Audit Starts—PilieroMazza Launches “8(a) Audit Response Task Force” to Help Clients Handle the Holiday Gift No One Asked For

Blogs

  1. SBA Data Call: Deadline Extended Until January 19, 2026
  2. SBA’s 8(a) Program Audit Starts—PilieroMazza Launches “8(a) Audit Response Task Force” to Help Clients Handle the Holiday Gift No One Asked For

Webinar Replays

  1. Inside the SBA’s Full-Scale 8(a) Audit: What Participants Need to Know Now

News from PilieroMazza

  1. PilieroMazza’s Matt Feinberg Shares Key Impacts of SBA’s 8(a) Audit on Tribally Owned Contractors with Tribal Business News