Department of Homeland Security Mentor-Protege Program Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 408, the ``Department of Homeland Security Mentor-Protege Program Act of 2021,'' which provides statutory authority for the mentor-protege program of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under which a mentor firm enters into an agreement with a protege firm to assist the latter to compete for prime contracts and subcontracts of DHS.

The Mentor-Protege program is designed to motivate and encourage large business prime contractor firms to provide mutually beneficial developmental assistance to small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns.

The participating Mentor-Protege Companies, program is also designed to:

1. Improve the performance of contracts and subcontracts.

2. Foster the establishment of long-term business relationships between large prime contractors and small business subcontractors.

3. Strengthen subcontracting opportunities and accomplishments through three incentives. Eligibility for Participation

All firms must be in good standing in the federal marketplace.

The program excludes firms that are on the Federal List of Debarred or Suspended Contractors.

A Mentor Firm is open to any large business firm that demonstrates the commitment and capability to assist in the development of small business proteges.

A Protege Firm can partner with all small businesses that meet the definition of small business concern at FAR 19.001, based on their primary NAICS code, are eligible to be protege firms.

This includes small business, veteran-owned small business, service- disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns.

Benefits for Mentors to participate in this program include for acquisitions that require for a subcontracting plan, mentors are eligible to receive credit in the source selection/evaluation criteria process for mentor-protege participation.

Additionally, a post-award incentive for subcontracting plan credit is available by recognizing costs incurred by a mentor firm in providing assistance to a protege firm and using this credit for purposes of determining whether the mentor firm attains a subcontracting plan participation goal applicable to the mentor firm under a Homeland Security contract.

The program benefits the Protege by allowing them to receive technical, managerial, financial, or any other mutually agreed upon benefit from mentors including work that flows from a government or commercial contract through subcontracting or teaming arrangements. The assistance could result in significant small business development.

The benefits to the Department of Homeland Security is the opportunity to move from the traditional large business prime contractor/small business subcontractor model to a mentor-protege relationship model based on mutual agreement, trust, and meaningful business development.

Additionally, mentor-protege arrangements may provide the Department of Homeland Security with greater assurance that a protege subcontractor will be able to perform under a contract than a similarly situated non-protege subcontractor.

Further, protege firms gain opportunities to seek and perform government and commercial contracts through the guidance and support of mentor firms that may not have been available to them without the mentor-protege program.

This type of program is working in the Department of Defense with great success. It is time to formalize the work of the mentor-protege program with DHS.

I ask that my colleagues join me in voting for H.R. 408.

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