What SBA buys
Most SBA dollars don't go through open SAM.gov competitions. Here's how the spend actually breaks down:
Where SBA posts opportunities
Primary channels: SAM.gov · GSA Schedule.
SBA pain points
What SBA is actively trying to fix — sourced from agency strategic plans, IG reports, and FY26 budget justifications. Map your capabilities to these and you're writing toward an evaluator's actual problem.
- 1
Disaster loan processing - reducing application-to-disbursement times after surge events
- 2
8(a) program management - certification, annual review, and business development tracking systems
- 3
SBIR/STTR grant systems - managing $4B+ in annual small business innovation research awards
- 4
Lender portal modernization - upgrading systems for 7(a) and 504 loan program partners
- 5
Size standards verification - automated determination of small business eligibility
- 6
Contracting assistance platforms - modernizing subcontracting.net and procurement scorecards
FY26 funding priorities
Where the money is moving inside SBA in the current and upcoming fiscal years.
- $200M allocated for SBA IT modernization, focusing on loan processing systems and online portal upgrades with contracts expected in FY2025 for system integrators and software developers.
- $50M committed to disaster loan program modernization, targeting automated processing and fraud detection tools with procurement opportunities in FY2025 for data analytics and AI solution providers.
- $4B+ annual set-aside for SBIR/STTR programs, funding small business R&D innovation with ongoing solicitations across federal agencies for FY2025-2027.
- $10M budgeted for 8(a), HUBZone, and WOSB certification process streamlining, with IT and business process outsourcing contracts anticipated in FY2025.
- $5M allocated for cybersecurity enhancements under Zero Trust Architecture per OMB M-22-09, with RFPs for cybersecurity vendors expected in FY2025.
Small business set-asides at SBA
Set-aside percentages shift quarterly. Mindy flags every set-aside opportunity in your daily briefing.
How Mindy tracks SBA
Mindy pulls SBA opportunities from 3 sources every day — SAM.gov, agency forecast portals, recompete signals from expiring contracts — then filters by your NAICS, set-aside eligibility, and location. New opportunities and recompete signals land in a single morning email.
No more checking 12 portals. No more reading 80-page solicitations to figure out if you're even eligible.
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