Consequence of failure to meet the benchmarks

SBA will identify, on June 1 of each year, the companies that fail to meet either of these benchmarks. These companies will be not be eligible to receive a Phase I award for a period of one year from that date. SBA will notify the companies and the relevant officials at the participating agencies. The information on the companies will not be available to the public. Because this requirement only affects a company’s eligibility for new Phase I awards, a company that fails to meet these benchmarks may continue working on its current or ongoing SBIR/STTR awards and may apply for and receive new Phase II and Phase III awards.

To avoid cases where a company prepares and submits a proposal prior to June 1st but is then determined to be ineligible at the time the agency makes the award, after June 1st, SBA will notify companies on April 1st if they are failing the benchmark(s). If a company believes that the information used was not complete or accurate, it may provide feedback through the Company Registry at www.sbir.gov. SBA accepts requests for reconsideration of the eligibility determination from April 1st through April 30th of each year.

Source: www.SBIR.gov