Mentor-Protege Programs Have Policies That Aim to Benefit Participants but Do Not Require Postagreement Tracking
Abstract
A mentor-protege program is an arrangement in which mentorsbusinesses, typically experienced prime contractorsprovide technical, managerial, and other business development assistance to eligible small businesses, or proteges. In return, the programs provide incentives for mentor participation, such as credit toward subcontracting goals, additional evaluation points toward the awarding of contracts, an annual award to the mentor providing the most effective developmental support to a protege, and in some cases, cost reimbursement. Overall, mentor-protege programs seek to enhance the ability of small businesses to compete more successfully for federal government contracts by furnishing them with assistance to improve their performance. We identified 13 federal agencies that currently have mentor-protege programs including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of State (DOS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Small Business Administration (SBA), Department of the Treasury (Treasury), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 15, 2011
- Accession Number
- AD1105266
Entities
People
- Edwin Yuen
- Farah Angersola
- Jennifer Schwartz
- Marshall Hamlett
- Michelle Bowsky
- Tania Calhoun
- William B. Shear
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office