On February 11, 2026, the U.S. Small Business Administration issued a press release announcing that it was initiating termination proceedings and suspending over 150 Washington, D.C.-based 8(a) firms for allegedly failing to meet “economic disadvantage” eligibility criteria for the 8(a) Program. This is a bold move as traditionally proposed terminations are not also coupled with suspensions. And while the press release asserts that these firms “exceeded statutory net worth limits, adjusted gross income caps, or total asset limits,” the notice . . . Read More
The Small Business Administration (SBA) confirmed it suspended more than 1,000 contractors this month from the 8(a) Business Development Program, a cornerstone of federal contracting for many small businesses and Native-owned enterprises. The agency said the action followed firms’ failure to submit required records during a program-wide audit. The suspensions represent about one-quarter of the roughly 4,300 companies participating in the 8(a) program, which provides contracting assistance to small businesses designated as socially and economically disadvantaged, including tribally owned enterprises, . . . Read More
The Small Business Administration suspended more than 1,000 companies in the 8(a) program. SBA made the decision after it deemed those small businesses non-compliant with its financial data request from December. . . . Lawyers that represent small businesses say SBA issued the suspensions on Wednesday based on the fact that the 8(a) firms either failed to submit their responses on or before the January 19 deadline or submitted incomplete responses. “At least some firms that submitted complete data call . . . Read More
On December 5, 2025, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a program-wide data call (Data Call) to all 8(a) Business Development Program (8(a) Program) participants seeking three years of financial and contractual records. The Data Call was designed to identify fraud, waste, and abuse in the 8(a) Program. Further to that stated goal, following the response deadline of January 19, 2026, SBA swiftly moved to take adverse action against 8(a) firms it deems non-compliant with the Data Call obligations. 8(a) . . . Read More
SBA announced today, as part of a broader release of FAQs, that the deadline to respond to the December 5, 2025, data call, which we discussed here , has been extended until January 19, 2026. Over and beyond the welcomed extension, SBA has clarified certain of the data call requests. Of note, SBA confirmed that the “last three (3) closed fiscal years of each respective participant” is required. Takeaways from this are: (1) it is the participant’s, not the government’s, fiscal year, . . . Read More
Click here to view the recorded session. In early December, the SBA issued formal data and document requests to all certified 8(a) Business Development Program participants—marking the first major step in the “immediate and full-scale audit” the agency announced in June 2025. These requests are driven largely by recent online media publications attacking the 8(a) Program with allegations of purported (but as-yet unproven) widespread fraud. The scrutiny on the 8(a) Program is intensifying, and 8(a) companies could face collateral damage during . . . Read More
Matt Feinberg of PilieroMazza recently spoke with and Brian Edwards of Tribal Business News about the SBA’s 8(a) audit and its impact on tribally owned businesses operating in the federal procurement space. Below is the complete article, which also can be accessed through this link . Don’t miss PilieroMazza’s webinar, “ Inside the SBA’s Full-Scale 8(a) Audit: What Participants Need to Know Now ,” scheduled for December 17 at 2 PM ET. ________________________________________ The Small Business Administration’s sweeping audit of its 8(a) Business Development program has left Native-owned companies scrambling to meet a 30-day deadline that advisers . . . Read More
On December 5, 2025, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued formal data and document requests (linked here ) 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, . . . Read More
