This summary is meant to provide commonly asked questions and
answers regarding Treasury's Mentor-Protégé Program.
1. What firms are eligible to be mentor firms?
Treasury's Mentor-Protégé Program, Success Partnerships, is open to any firm
(large or small) that demonstrates a commitment and capability to assist in
the development of a small business protégé's). Although mentors can be large
or small businesses, we anticipate the majority of the mentors will be large
businesses. (The program excludes firms on the Federal List of Debarred or Suspended
Contractors).
2. How does a firm become a mentor?
Before a government contract is awarded, mentors select a potential protégé
and jointly apply to the Treasury Office of Small Business Development (OSBD)
for review.
After a contract is awarded, a mentor-protégé arrangement may be created to
help meet the mentor's subcontracting requirements. Treasury OSBD will make
available an application form.
3. What does a firm gain from being a mentor in meeting its
subcontracting obligations?
Mentor-Protégé arrangements are a good business decision for the mentor because
they may develop good reach back skills sets that can be used to complement
or diversify their company while competing for Treasury contracts. A good
mentor-protégé relationship builds a trust and loyalty between the mentor and
protégé.
Before awarding a contract that requires a subcontracting plan, the existence
of a mentor-protégé arrangement, and performance (if any) under an existing
arrangement, may be considered by the Contracting Officer.
Mentor-protégé arrangements may provide the Government with greater assurance
that a protégé subcontractor will be able to perform under the contract than
a similarly situated non-protégé subcontractor.
4. Are there any other benefits to being a mentor?
Yes. As stated above, the contracting officer may also include Mentor-Protégé
agreements as an evaluation factor in the source selection criteria of an RFP,
providing for additional consideration to those participating in the program.
Treasury OSBD has established a non-monetary award to be given annually
to the mentor firm providing the most effective developmental.
5. What firms are eligible to be protégé firms?
ALLsmall businesses that meet the definition of small business
concern at FAR 19.001, based on their primary NAICS code, are eligible to be
protégé firms. This includes small businesses, including very small businesses,
HUBZone small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small
businesses, Veteran-Owned and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses..
6. How does a firm apply to become a protégé?
Protégés either discuss the Mentor-Protégé Program to a larger firm they have
been working with or are selected by a larger firm. In either instance, the
mentor and protégé jointly submit an agreement to the Treasury OSBD for review.
The
is available on this web site.
Treasury does not keep a list of prospective mentors or protégés. However, we
do offer a venue for meeting Treasury's prime contractors, and that is through
the Prime Contractor Vendor Outreach Session held twice a year, in May and November.
A very important note is that very seldom does a small business gain a Treasury
Mentor-Protégé agreement if you have not done business with the prospective
mentor in the past. Since our program is a credit only program, the mentor
is unlikely to spend time, money and effort on providing developmental assistance
to an unfamiliar small business.
7. What does a firm gain from being a protégé in competition
for government contracts?
Protégés gain opportunities to seek and perform government and commercial contracts
through the guidance and support of mentors that may not have been available
to them without the mentor-protégé relationship. The developmental assistance
provided to the protégé often is a part of a subcontracting effort to the mentor.
8. Are there any other benefits to being a protégé?
Protégés may receive technical, managerial, financial, or any other mutually
agreed upon benefit from mentors in addition to the work that flows from a government
or commercial contract through subcontracting or teaming arrangements. The assistance
could result in significant small business development.
