FAR 19.1401—General.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 19.1401 is the introductory provision for the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Program. It explains the legal origin of the program under the Veterans Benefit Act of 2003, identifies the statutory basis at 15 U.S.C. 657f, and states the program’s core purpose: to provide Federal contracting assistance to service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. In practical terms, this section does not set detailed eligibility procedures, set-aside rules, or contract administration requirements; instead, it establishes the policy foundation for the rest of the SDVOSB subpart. For contracting officers, it signals that later SDVOSB rules are intended to implement a congressionally created preference program. For contractors, it confirms that the program exists to expand access to Federal contracting opportunities for qualifying firms owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans.
Key Rules
Program created by statute
The SDVOSB Program exists because Congress created it in the Veterans Benefit Act of 2003. The FAR section ties the program to its statutory authority at 15 U.S.C. 657f.
Applies to qualifying small businesses
The program is limited to small business concerns that are owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans. This section identifies the class of businesses the program is meant to assist, even though it does not define eligibility details here.
Federal contracting assistance purpose
The stated purpose of the program is to provide Federal contracting assistance. That means the program is intended to improve access to Federal procurement opportunities for eligible SDVOSBs.
Introductory, not operational
This section is a general statement of purpose and authority. It does not itself establish set-aside procedures, verification requirements, or award criteria; those requirements appear in other SDVOSB provisions.
Responsibilities
Congress
Created the SDVOSB procurement program through the Veterans Benefit Act of 2003 and provided the statutory authority for Federal contracting assistance to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.
Federal agencies and contracting officers
Recognize the SDVOSB Program as a statutory preference program and apply the more detailed FAR and agency rules that implement it when planning and awarding contracts.
Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns
Understand that the program is intended to provide contracting assistance to qualifying firms and use the program’s later eligibility and participation rules to pursue Federal opportunities.
Practical Implications
This section is mainly a policy and authority statement, so it is important for context but does not by itself tell you how to award or compete a contract.
Contracting officers should treat this as the foundation for later SDVOSB requirements, not as a standalone source for eligibility determinations or set-aside decisions.
Contractors should not rely on this section alone to prove eligibility; they must look to the detailed SDVOSB rules elsewhere in FAR and agency guidance.
A common pitfall is assuming that because the program exists, any veteran-owned firm qualifies; this section only identifies the intended beneficiary class, not the full qualification standard.
When researching SDVOSB issues, use this section to confirm the program’s purpose and statutory basis, then move to the operative provisions for actual procurement procedures and compliance requirements.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) The Veterans Benefit Act of2003 ( 15 U.S.C. 657f ) created the procurement program for small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans (commonly referred to as the "Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Program"). (b) The purpose of the SDVOSB Program is to provide Federal contracting assistance to service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.