The standard DOD Mentor-Protégé Agreement (MPA) lasts two years. Lengthening the Mentor-Protégé Agreement Duration Giving preferential contracting status to graduated protégés.Allowing MPP participants to create joint ventures with an affiliation exemption.Awarding points on RFPs for participation.The MPP recommends implementing additional incentive structures to pull potential mentors off the sidelines including the following:
Currently, the program primarily incentivizes mentors to participate through direct cost reimbursements, but the shortage of mentors suggests that isn’t enough. The shortfall makes finding the right relationship difficult for many prospective protégés. The DBB report argues there are not enough mentors to go around as only 0.2% of the 15,000 total DOD suppliers serve as MPP mentors. Addressing Declining ParticipationĬurrently, the number of small businesses serving the DOD is declining. Thankfully, the report offers solutions to those problems. The program faces notable headwinds with various challenges impeding growth. The outlook is not entirely bright, however.
Mitha argues the MPP is one tool that can promote the small business community and allow the military to continue to reap the innovative approaches. Unfortunately, new government security requirements, like the updated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program and additional oversight, make it hard for small businesses to pursue – and win – opportunities across the DOD. Small businesses infuse new technologies, techniques, and approaches into the industry, which the DOD could not otherwise benefit from if it only procured goods and services from large businesses. Additionally, protégé firms have contributed to various significant defense programs, including the F-35 Lightning II, KC-130J Hercules, and Standard Missile 3 (SM-3).įarooq Mitha, the Director of DOD’s Office of Small Business Programs, told the DBB on August 9 that contracting with the small business community is crucial as the United States competes with China and Russia. In FY2021 alone, the program amounted to $4.16 billion in contract value. For instance, the MPP has aided in an increase in protégé revenues, contract awards, and employment, with 1,200 protégés having participated in the MPP since its inception.
That could quickly change, as new recommendations from the Defense Business Board (DBB) seek to bring permanency and increase participation, understanding, and oversight.įollowing the COVID-19 pandemic and its negative effects on the small business community and Government Accountability Office findings suggesting the number of small business suppliers dropped by over 40% since 2011, the DBB released a study finding that the MPP has had a positive impact on supporting small businesses and has driven innovation. Established on November 5, 1990, the DOD’s MPP has been consistently reauthorized over the last 30 years, but only as a pilot. Defense Industrial Base (DIB).” Like the Small Business Administration’s MPP, the program pairs small businesses with larger contractors to develop mutually beneficial relationships.
The Department of Defense’s (DOD) Mentor-Protégé program (MPP) was designed to strengthen the capabilities of small businesses, increase their participation in the DOD contract pool, and contribute to “the diversity and vitality of the U.S.
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