Comment on FR Doc # 2026-11765

The Professional Services Council (PSC) appreciates the opportunity to submit comments on the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) proposed rule, “Reforms to Remove SBA's 8(a) Program's Rebuttable Presumption of Social Disadvantage for Individually Owned Firms Only; Reforms Do Not Impact Entity-Owned Firms” (Docket No. SBA-2026-0133; 91 Fed. Reg. 35433), as published in the Federal Register on June 11, 2026. In this rule, SBA would amend regulations governing social disadvantage under the Section 8(a) Business Development Program (“8(a) Program”) by removing the rebuttable presumption that individuals belonging to certain designated groups are socially disadvantaged and revising standards for individuals establishing social disadvantage. As you may know, PSC is the leading trade association and voice of the government contracting industry, representing the full range and diversity of the federal services, technology, and solutions sector. PSC’s 400+ member companies provide mission-critical solutions to the federal government and range in size from start-ups to multinational organizations, and of note, more than two-thirds of PSC’s members qualify as small businesses. All of PSC member companies together employ nearly one million American workers and contribute—through commercial and government contracts—roughly $1 trillion annually to the U.S. economy. Because PSC circulated the proposed rule to member companies for consideration and feedback, the following comments reflect responses from members, as well as the PSC staff. In general, PSC believes that SBA should ensure that any final rule remains workable for those individually owned small disadvantaged businesses that the program is intended to serve. Therefore, PSC’s comments focus on practical implementation issues that will help preserve meaningful access to the 8(a) Program. Recommendations include suggestions so that the final rule, as revised, will: I.Preserve Practical Access for Individually Owned Small Disadvantaged Businesses II.Address Reliance Interests, Pending Applications, and Current Participants III.Evaluate Whether the Proposed Rule Could Create a Structural Preference for Entity-Owned 8(a) Firms and Account for Related Market Impacts IV.Provide Clear Guidance, Objective Review Criteria, and Ongoing Monitoring Please see the attached PDF for details comments and recommendations on topics I-IV above.