For its ongoing comprehensive size standards review and future regulatory actions relating to size standards, SBA has developed a “Size Standards Methodology White Paper,”explaining how it establishes, reviews and modifies its small business size standards pursuant to the Small Business Act and related legislative guidelines.
The white paper provides a brief review of the following:
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Legal authority, early legislative history and regulatory history of small business size standards
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Detailed description of evaluation of industry structure and program information and data sources
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Numerous policy issues regarding the objectives and direction of size standards
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Appendix summarizing the detailed analytical steps involved in the evaluation of size standards for an industry
Can the Methodology Change?
SBA welcomes comments from the public on its methodology regarding a number of issues. SBA is aware that different choices among size standards can involve complex tradeoffs among relevant variables; and it invites comments on how to identify and weigh those variables.
Suggestions are welcome on alternative methodologies for determining small businesses on:
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How these size standards affect competition in general and within the specific industry
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Alternative or additional factors that SBA should consider
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If SBA’s approach to small business size standards makes sense in the current economic environment
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If SBA’s use of anchor size standards are appropriate in the current economy
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If there are gaps in SBA’s methodology because of the lack of comprehensive data
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Alternative data sets SBA should consider for a specific sector
Please follow the instructions in the notice of the Federal Register for submitting comments to SBA.