Advantages of doing business through 8(a) set asides:

• Sole source procurement by Federal Agencies
• Speed of award as compared to competitive procurement can be awarded in as little as 4 weeks.

Comparative Time Frames Set-Asides vs. Competitive Bid Awards
Project Phase	Set-Aside	Competitive Bid
Solicitation Period	4 wks.	7 wks.
Pre-Proposal Conference	N/A	Normal
Proposals Received	1 wk.	3+ wks.
Proposal Evaluations	2 wks.	8 wks.
Proposal Revisions	N/A	4 wks.
CAA Audit	Verbal – 10 min.	Written – 7 wks.
Negotiations	1 hr.	1 wk.
Best & Final	N/A	2 wks.
Headquarters Review	N/A	7 wks.
Signatures	1 day	2 wk
Typical Total	7 wks.	41 wks.

Length of Contract

• 8(a) – contractor remains as long as eligible to receive 8(a) awards.
• Competitive procurements normally re-competed every 3 years.

Doing business under the 8(a) set-aside program offers significant speed upon contract award. Additionally, the benefits derived from vastly reduced paperwork, reduced red tape and the resultant costs are viewed very favorably by Federal agency procurement personnel.