What is a small business set-aside?
A small business set-aside is a federal contracting mechanism that reserves competition for eligible small businesses or specific SBA program participants — including 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, EDWOSB, and SDVOSB firms — under FAR Part 19 and SBA program rules. Fonteum treats set-aside status as a source-dated program fact or award context, not a company rating.
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- Published
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- Retrieved
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- Snapshot
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- Data as of
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Short explanation
Federal set-asides are governed by small-business contracting rules, including FAR Part 19 and SBA program requirements. Fonteum's procurement layer reads SBA certification facts from the `sba-certifications` source family and award context from USASpending.gov, then keeps those facts separate from SAM.gov exclusions and entity-registration status. A set-aside fact can describe program eligibility or an award context, but it does not prove present performance quality or future eligibility.
Related platform: Source library
How it’s used
- Set-aside directories: Fonteum's `/gov/set-aside` pages group SBA certification facts and award context by program, state, and firm.
- Award context: USASpending.gov prime awards can include set-aside and competition values when reported by the source row.
- Procurement screening: set-aside facts are read beside SAM.gov registration, SAM.gov exclusions, FAPIIS, and current SBA program rules.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a set-aside the same as a certification?
- No. A set-aside is a contracting mechanism or award context. Certification is a program-specific eligibility fact for a firm.
- Which set-aside programs does Fonteum reference?
- Fonteum references SBA program facts such as 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, EDWOSB, VOSB, and SDVOSB when sourced from SBA data.
- Does a set-aside fact guarantee current eligibility?
- No. Set-aside and certification facts are dated source records and should be checked against current SBA and SAM.gov status.
Explore in Fonteum
How Fonteum sources, resolves, and publishes data tied to this term.