(b) (i) The Deputy for each Program Executive Officer/Program Manager is the designated point of contact to the supporting command Small Business Specialist, who will draft the Small Business Strategy in support of each Acquisition Strategy, assist in the requirements process to maximize small business opportunities, and identify potential products or services suitable for award to small or small disadvantaged businesses. [AFARS Revision #11, dated May 4, 2004]
(d) (6) The Director, Small Business Programs, must be afforded an opportunity to comment on, and contribute to, the performance evaluation of associate directors, who must be afforded the same opportunity for the principal Small Business Specialists at subordinate activities.
(7) (A) At those contracting activities where there is a resident SBA Procurement Center Representative (PCR), the Small Business Technical Advisor (SBTA) will be assigned full time to the Office of Small Business Programs and be supervised by the chief of the office. The SBTA cannot be a Small Business Specialist.
(B) At those activities where the assignment of an SBTA is not required, but where requirements are technically complex, a technical point of contact must be identified to the PCR and Small Business Specialist. Upon request, the technical contact will provide the PCR and Small Business Specialist technical advice and information to support their reviews of acquisition actions.
(C) Duties of the SBTA may include the following types of technical assistance:
(1) Explaining and interpreting drawings, specifications, and other technical data.
(2) Providing information on the requisite professional skills, facilities, production equipment, and other necessary capabilities required for production, testing, quality control, etc.
(3) Arranging for technical personnel to provide assistance on subject matter outside the SBTA’s expertise.
(4) Helping identify acquisitions which are candidates for breakout.
(5) Helping identify candidates for the Small Business program, Small Disadvantaged Business program, Women-Owned Small Business program, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program, Veteran-Owned Small Business program, Historically Underutilized Business Zone program, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority Institutions, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Council Universities program.
(6) Reviewing acquisition plans.
(9) (B) (1) To facilitate the review of the DD Form 2579, the contracting officer must:
(i) Prepare the DD Form 2579 with sufficient lead time to permit the cognizant Small Business Specialist and the SBA PCR to review and sign it prior to transmitting the Commerce Business Daily synopsis notice if one is required.
(ii) Keep the original DD Form 2579 in the contract file and send copies to the SBA PCR and activity Small Business Specialist.
(2) The Small Business Specialist serving the contracting office must:
(i) Number Item 1, Control No., on the DD Form 2579, consecutively starting with “1” at the beginning of each FY, and adding the last two digits of the FY, e.g. 1-96, 2-96.
(ii) Review and sign the DD Form, 2579. If the SBA procurement center representative lacks the necessary security clearance to review the DD Form 2579, the contracting officer must document the file by so annotating that there is no cleared SBA representative. The form then satisfies FAR 19.402(b) requirements.
(3) When completed and until the date of contract award, the DD Form 2579 must be made available only to personnel who have a “need to know”. Copies distributed outside the Army must be marked “For Official Use Only.”
(e) Small Business Specialists must be appointed by the commander of each command or subordinate activity responsible for a contracting office. The commander of each major command must appoint an Associate Director, Small Business Programs.
(A) Only individuals who possess business acumen and knowledge of Army contracting policy and procedures and who have the training and background to accomplish the objectives of the overall small business program can be appointed associate directors and Small Business Specialists.
(B) Before appointing an associate director, the commander must submit a summary of the candidate’s qualifications to the DirectorSmall Business Programs, for review and shall consult with the Director. A copy of the appointment document must be sent to the Office of Small Business Programs.
(C) The appointment of other Small Business Specialists must be coordinated in advance with the appropriate associate director. Where a full-time specialist is appointed, they cannot be assigned to the contracting office. Where a part-time specialist is appointed, they should be the chief of the contracting office.
(D) Furnish the name, grade level, position, title, telephone numbers (commercial and DSN), and activity location of newly appointed Small Business Specialists to the Office of Small Business Programs, within 30 calendar days after appointment. When applicable, identify the Small Business Specialist being replaced.
[AFARS Revision #21, dated May 22, 2007]
