Small Business Set-Aside

About the Small Business Set-Aside

Small-business set-asides reserve federal contracting opportunities for firms that meet the SBA size standard for the awarded NAICS code. Federal contracting officers apply the Rule of Two — a contracting officer must set aside any award over the simplified-acquisition threshold when there is a reasonable expectation that offers will be obtained from at least two small businesses, and the award will be made at fair market price. Small-business RFPs are issued across virtually every major federal agency — the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the Department of Justice, and large civilian agencies — covering the full breadth of federal spend. Size standards vary by NAICS: services, manufacturing, and construction each have separate employer-count or average-annual-receipt thresholds published in the SBA Table of Small Business Size Standards. BidAuthority helps small businesses generate compliant proposal drafts aligned with FAR Part 19, the SBA size standards, and the agency’s specific evaluation factors.

Who Qualifies for Small Business Set-Aside

To qualify as a small business under a specific NAICS code, the firm must independently meet the SBA size standard — typically expressed as either average annual receipts over the prior three completed fiscal years (services, retail, construction) or total number of employees (manufacturing). Receipt thresholds range from roughly $7M to $47M depending on the NAICS, and employee counts for manufacturing generally cap at 500 employees. Affiliates — firms controlling or controlled by the same parties — must also comply, and SBA evaluates size based on the combined receipts or employees of all affiliates under common control. A firm must be organized for profit, have a place of business in the United States, and operate primarily within the United States or its territories.

How to Get Certified

Certification is via self-certification in SAM.gov — register or upgrade your entity registration, identify your primary NAICS code, and affirm that your firm (with all affiliates) meets the SBA size standard published for that NAICS in 13 CFR 121.201. Pair the SAM registration with a current CAGE code (issued automatically by SAM) and an MPIN so contracting officers can review your entity record at award time. There is no fee for SAM registration, though a size protest from an unsuccessful offeror can delay award — keep payroll reports and prior-year audited financials on hand to respond.

There are currently 0 active Small Business set-aside federal opportunities on SAM.gov. Use the list below to find a fit for your firm, then generate a fully compliant proposal draft in under 10 minutes with BidAuthority.