FAR 19.402—Small Business Administration procurement center representatives.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 19.402 explains the role of Small Business Administration procurement center representatives (PCRs) in the federal acquisition process and how contracting activities must work with them. It covers SBA’s authority to assign PCRs to contracting activities or contract administration offices, the requirement that PCRs follow agency directives and security rules, and the agency’s obligation to obtain any needed security clearances for them. It also addresses what happens when no PCR is assigned, including contacting the appropriate SBA Office of Government Contracting Area Office for assistance. The section requires contracting officers, upon request and subject to acquisition and security rules, to give PCRs access to reasonably obtainable contract information directly related to their duties. It then describes the PCR’s core functions: reviewing proposed acquisitions and acquisition packages, recommending small business set-asides or sole-source awards, identifying additional small business sources, suggesting breakout and competition improvements, recommending alternate contracting methods when small business prime opportunities appear limited, recommending concerns for solicitation lists, appealing certain contracting officer decisions, conducting periodic compliance reviews, and supporting training and outreach. In practice, this section is about ensuring SBA has a meaningful role in shaping acquisition strategies so small businesses get a fair opportunity to compete and agencies stay aligned with small business policy goals.
Key Rules
SBA May Assign PCRs
The SBA may assign one or more procurement center representatives to a contracting activity or contract administration office to carry out SBA policies and programs. If no PCR is assigned, the contracting activity should work with the SBA Office of Government Contracting Area Office serving that location.
PCRs Must Follow Agency Rules
Assigned PCRs must comply with the contracting agency’s directives on the conduct of contracting personnel and the release of contract information. The SBA is responsible for obtaining any security clearances the agency requires for the PCRs.
Access to Contract Information
Upon request, and subject to applicable acquisition and security regulations, contracting officers must give PCRs access to all reasonably obtainable contract information directly pertinent to their official duties. This access obligation applies to the PCR or, if none is assigned, to the SBA office identified in the regulation.
Review of Proposed Acquisitions
PCRs review proposed acquisitions and may recommend set-asides, sole-source awards to small businesses, identification of new qualified small business sources, breakout of discrete requirements, and other actions to improve competition and small business participation.
Review of Acquisition Packages
When acquisition packages are provided under FAR 19.202-1(e), the PCR may recommend an alternate contracting method if the proposed acquisition appears unlikely to allow small businesses to compete for the prime contract. The recommendation must be made to the contracting officer within 15 days after receipt of the package.
Solicitation and Appeal Authority
PCRs may recommend concerns for inclusion on solicitation lists and may appeal a contracting officer’s decision not to solicit a recommended concern when that decision results in no small business being solicited. Written appeals must follow the procedures in FAR 19.502-8.
Oversight, Outreach, and Training
PCRs conduct periodic reviews of the contracting activity to check compliance with small business policies and may sponsor or participate in conferences and training to increase small business participation in the office’s contracting activities.
Responsibilities
SBA
Assign PCRs to contracting activities or contract administration offices as needed, provide or arrange security clearances required by the agency, and support PCR participation in carrying out SBA small business policies and programs.
Procurement Center Representative (PCR)
Review proposed acquisitions and acquisition packages, recommend small business set-asides or sole-source awards when appropriate, identify additional qualified small business sources, suggest breakout and competition improvements, recommend alternate contracting methods, recommend concerns for solicitation lists, conduct periodic compliance reviews, participate in training and outreach, and file written appeals under the required procedures when a contracting officer rejects a recommendation.
Contracting Officer
Provide PCRs access to reasonably obtainable contract information directly pertinent to their duties when requested and subject to acquisition/security rules, consider PCR recommendations, and process any related appeals or objections in accordance with the FAR.
Contracting Activity / Contract Administration Office
Allow assigned PCRs to operate under agency directives governing contracting personnel and release of information, coordinate with SBA when no PCR is assigned, and support PCR reviews, oversight, and outreach activities.
SBA Office of Government Contracting Area Office
Provide assistance when no PCR is assigned to the procuring activity or contract administration office and serve as the SBA point of contact for that area.
Chief of the Contracting Office
Hear appeals of a contracting officer’s determination not to solicit a concern recommended by SBA when that decision results in no small business being solicited.
Practical Implications
Contracting officers should expect SBA involvement early in acquisition planning, especially where set-asides, source lists, or competition strategy may affect small business participation.
The 15-day recommendation window for acquisition package reviews is operationally important; delays in sending packages to PCRs can compress planning schedules and create avoidable friction.
Agencies should be prepared to share contract information with PCRs, but only to the extent it is reasonably obtainable and consistent with security and acquisition rules, so information-control procedures matter.
PCR recommendations can trigger internal review and appeal processes, so contracting officers should document the rationale for decisions not to follow SBA advice, especially when no small business is being solicited.
A common pitfall is treating PCRs as optional stakeholders; this section makes clear they have an active oversight and advocacy role in small business contracting compliance and market access.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) (1) The SBA may assign one or more procurement center representatives (PCRs) to any contracting activity or contract administration office to carry out SBA policies and programs. Assigned SBA PCRs are required to comply with the contracting agency's directives governing the conduct of contracting personnel and the release of contract information. The SBA must obtain for its PCRs security clearances required by the contracting agency. (2) If an SBA PCR is not assigned to the procuring activity or contract administration office, contact the SBA Office of Government Contracting Area Office serving the area in which the procuring activity is located for assistance in carrying out SBA policies and programs. See https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/counseling-help/procurement-center-representative-directory for the location of the SBA office servicing the activity. (b) Upon their request and subject to applicable acquisition and security regulations, contracting officers shall give SBA PCRs (or, if a PCR is not assigned, see paragraph (a) of this section) access to all reasonably obtainable contract information that is directly pertinent to their official duties. (c) The duties assigned by SBA to its PCR are set forth at 13 CFR 125.2 (b) and include but are not limited to the following: (1) Reviewing proposed acquisitions to recommend– (i) The set-aside or sole-source award to a small business of selected acquisitions; (ii) New qualified small business sources, including veteran-owned small, service-disabled veteran-owned small, HUBZone small, small disadvantaged, economically disadvantaged women-owned small, and women-owned small eligible under the Women-Owned Small Business Program; (iii) Breakout of discrete components, items, and requirements for competitive acquisitions; and (iv) Ways to improve competition. (2) Reviewing proposed acquisition packages provided in accordance with 19.202-1 (e). If the SBA procurement center representative (or, if a procurement center representative is not assigned, see paragraph (a) of this section) believes that the acquisition, as proposed, makes it unlikely that small businesses can compete for the prime contract, the representative shall recommend any alternate contracting method that the representative reasonably believes will increase small business prime contracting opportunities. The recommendation shall be made to the contracting officer within 15 days after receipt of the package. (3) Recommending concerns for inclusion on a list of concerns to be solicited in a specific acquisition. (4) Appealing to the chief of the contracting office any contracting officer’s determination not to solicit a concern recommended by the SBA for a particular acquisition, when not doing so results in no small business being solicited. (5) Conducting periodic reviews of the contracting activity to which assigned to ascertain whether it is complying with the small business policies in this regulation. (6) Sponsoring and participating in conferences and training designed to increase small business participation in the contracting activities of the office. (7) Appealing a contracting officer's rejection of PCR's recommendation. Such appeal must be in writing and shall be filed and processed in accordance with the appeal procedures set out in 19.502-8 .