Kore Federal, Inc. today announced that it has recently been certified by the US Small Business Administration (SBA) as a women-owned, small disadvantaged business (SDB) and 8(a) firm. The 8(a) Program helps socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain a foothold in government contracting.

“We are looking forward to working closely with the SBA to firmly establish our company in the federal market and continue to deliver quality information technology solutions to our customers in the DOD, Homeland Security and Intelligence agencies,” said Andrea Stygar, Kore Federal’s President and CEO.  “The 8(a) certification will open the door to a variety of new federal contracting opportunities for Kore Federal.”

Participation is divided into two phases over nine years: a four-year developmental stage and a five-year transition stage.   SBA 8(a) participants can receive sole-source contracts, up to a ceiling of $3 million for goods and services and $5 million for manufacturing. While SBA helps 8(a) firms build their competitive and institutional know-how, the agency also encourages them to participate in competitive acquisitions.

Federal acquisition policies mandate Federal agencies to award a certain percentage of their contracts to SDBs. To speed up the award process, the SBA has signed Memorandums of Understanding with 25 Federal agencies allowing them to contract directly with certified 8(a) firms.  Recent changes permit 8(a) firms to form joint ventures and teams to bid on contracts. This enhances the ability of 8(a) firms to perform larger prime contracts and overcome the effects of contract bundling - the combining of two or more contracts together into one large contract.