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(a) Eligibility of Mentors: To be eligible to participate as a mentor, an entity must be-
(1) A large prime contractor performing under contracts with at least one approved subcontracting plan negotiated with NASA, pursuant to FAR Subpart 19.7, The Small Business Subcontracting Program. A contractor may apply to become a mentor even if they currently are not performing under a NASA contract with an approved subcontracting plan, if they are currently performing for another Federal Agency under a contract with an approved subcontracting plan. A NASA mentor-protégé agreement will not be approved until such time the mentor company is performing under a NASA contract with an approved subcontracting plan; and
(2) A contractor eligible for receipt of Government contracts.
(i) An entity may not be approved for participation in the Program as a mentor if, at the time of requesting participation in the program, it is currently debarred or suspended from contracting with the Federal Government pursuant to FAR Subpart 9.4, Debarment, Suspension, and Ineligibility.
(b) Eligibility of Protégés: To be eligible to participate as a protégé, an entity must-
(1) Be classified as a Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), a women-owned small business, a HUBZone small business, a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business, an historically black college and university, minority institution of higher education, as defined in FAR Part 2, Definitions of Parts and Terms, an active NASA SBIR Phase II company, or a non-profit agency employing people who are blind or severely disabled as defined in 41 CFR Chapter 51.
(2) Be eligible for the award of Federal contracts; and
(3) Be a small business according to the Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard for the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code that represents the contemplated supplies or services to be provided by the protégé to the mentor if the protégé is representing itself as a women-owned small business, HUBZone small business, or a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business.
(4) Except for SDBs, a protégé firm may self-certify to a mentor firm that it meets the requirements set forth in paragraph (a) of this section. Mentors may rely in good faith on written representations by potential protégés that they meet the specified eligibility requirements. SDB status eligibility and documentation requirements are determined according to FAR 19.304.