The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced an “immediate and full-scale audit” of its 8(a) business development program. The announcement stems from a “years-long fraud and bribery scheme involving a former federal contracting officer and two 8(a) contractors,” as detailed in a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release. This scheme involving two 8(a) contractors appears to be isolated to a few bad actors rather than broader issues with the social and economic disadvantage requirements of the 8(a) program.. Nevertheless, SBA is treating this reason to reassess the integrity of the entire 8(a) program. We know from working with many solid 8(a) contractors that this is not the case. In this client alert, we highlight the importance for 8(a) contractors to understand what may happen in SBA’s investigation and what you should do to be prepared.    

Read more here