SBA Announces ‘Empower to Grow’ to Aid Small Disadvantaged Businesses with Contract Readiness

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced improvements to its 7(j) Management and Technical Assistance program. The changes were announced under the name Empower to Grow or "E2G." They include updates to the program’s core services and aim to advance equity in federal procurement.

The program includes the enhancement of customized training to develop skills needed to win government contracts, as well as the launch of an updated Federal Market Acceleration Program, which is a three-month training program in government contracting led by government business development experts.

The E2G program also includes the launch of a federal contractor master class with new tools and techniques to accelerate small businesses competing for contracts. There is also new integration of networking and matchmaking events with government agencies and prime contractors. In addition, there is bidding technology for 8(a) firms to receive, review, and respond to over $2 trillion of state and local bid opportunities. Multilingual counselors are also available.

SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman noted that small business growth creates jobs while strengthening communities and the economy, adding that the Administration is prioritizing equity and a level playing field so small business owners, including those from disadvantaged communities, can compete for over $700 billion in small business-eligible federal contracts.

“We’ve launched Empower to Grow to revitalize our 7(j) program with improved coaching, training, and technology tools to get more disadvantaged businesses contract-ready and build a diversified supplier base – creating competition, innovation, and strong performance in federal spending," she said. "We have made significant progress with a rise in contracting dollars to small disadvantaged businesses, but there is more work to do to reverse the longstanding disparities, and the SBA’s Empower to Grow will be a critical resource supporting that work.”

In addition to the E2G program launch, the SBA released new data on the level of federal contracts going to small disadvantaged businesses. The data are broken down by race and ethnicity. Data from 2021 and 2022 indicate that most small businesses demographics are receiving "record-breaking" federal contracting dollars.

"As the share of federal contracts going to small businesses hit record highs, the percentage of federal contract dollars awarded to Black-owned, Hispanic-owned, Asian American-owned, and Subcontinent Asian American-owned businesses remained consistent from FY21 to FY22 – meaning these overall gains were felt across the board," the Administration said in a press release. "As our nation sees an increasingly diverse demographic of small business owners, it is imperative that the SBA work to attract and develop a diverse supplier base to maintain competition and innovation aligned with the agency’s founding mission. The SBA will continue to work across the federal government to ensure that small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) see not only a continued increase in contracting dollars awarded, but growth in their percentage participation to reflect this changing face of entrepreneurship and the federal supply chain."

The SBA’s 8(a) business development program was created to help disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain access to the federal marketplace. According to the Administration, the program has helped achieve "historic progress" toward the goal of awarding 15 percent of federal prime contracting to small disadvantaged businesses by fiscal year 2025.