Stop 8(a) Contracting Fraud

Full Title:
Stop 8(a) Contracting Fraud Act

Summary#

This bill would stop the Small Business Administration (SBA) from awarding sole-source contracts under the 8(a) business development program from the day the law is enacted until two things happen: (1) the SBA completes an audit of the 8(a) business development program that the Administrator ordered on June 27, 2025, and (2) the SBA sends the audit findings in a report to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the House Committee on Small Business. The bill defines the Administrator and Deputy Administrator. It also creates a narrow waiver for national-security needs. A contracting officer may request a waiver through the agency’s head acquisition officer; that officer must then submit the written request to the Administrator or Deputy Administrator. The written request must explain why the waiver is essential for national security and why no other small business can do the work. The Administrator or Deputy Administrator may approve the waiver, and the bill says that the authority to approve waivers cannot be delegated.

What it means for you#

  • If you are a small business in the 8(a) program: You generally would not be eligible for new sole-source 8(a) contracts while the moratorium is in place.\
  • If you are a contracting officer: You must stop using sole-source 8(a) authority unless you follow the waiver steps for national-security cases (request to head acquisition officer, then written submission to the Administrator or Deputy Administrator).\
  • If you are an agency acquisition leader: You will receive and forward written waiver requests and the Administrator or Deputy Administrator will be the decisionmaker on those waivers.\
  • If you follow congressional oversight: The SBA must deliver the audit report to the Senate and House small business committees before sole-source 8(a) awards can resume.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on costs or budgetary effects is included in the bill text or metadata.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on supporters’ statements or arguments is included in the bill text or metadata.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents’ statements or arguments is included in the bill text or metadata.