AVMAC was certified as a participant in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program on April 25, 2013. The 8(a) Business Development Program is a business assistance program for small disadvantaged businesses. The 8(a) Program offers a broad scope of assistance to firms that are owned and controlled at least 51% by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The 8(a) Program is an essential instrument for helping socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain access to the economic mainstream of American society. The program helps thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs to gain a foothold in government contracting. Participation in the program is divided into two phases over nine years: a four-year developmental stage and a five-year transition stage.
This significant milestone enables AVMAC to receive sole-source contracts, up to a ceiling of $4 million for goods and services and $6.5 million for manufacturing. 8(a) firms are also able to form joint ventures and teams to bid on contracts. This enhances the ability of AVMAC to perform larger prime contracts and overcome the effects of contract bundling, the combining of two or more contracts together into one large contract.
