(a) There are three purposes served by the DLA MBA Program. It is intended to:
(1) Provide maximum opportunity to the small business/”ABILITYONE” community to participate in DLA's reengineered business processes at either the prime or subcontract level.
(2) Remove the tendency on the part of some small businesses to depend on doing business with the Government exclusively, and to lead them to new opportunities that are chiefly available today in the commercial marketplace.
(3) Foster private-sector, mutually beneficial mentor-protege relationships that transcend performance under specific contracts. These long-term relationships can lead to equally long-term stability and opportunities for growth.
(b) The Government benefit realized is the establishment of stronger, better sources - the large or experienced and the small or disadvantaged entity - in whose abilities there can be greater confidence than ever before. The mentoring process strengthens the likelihood of a small firm's being able to compete for DLA contracts at either the prime or the subcontract level, and provides another outlet, vision, and opportunity to those whose prior range of operations was unnecessarily limited.
(c) A typical approach to MBA could be an arrangement between two entities who are both in similar business lines, with the prime contractor providing the advantage of its experience, technical capabilities, and business networks to the protege. Another could involve a prime from the warehousing/distribution business sector teaming with one or more proteges - not only in product lines, but also in software development, management of hazardous materials, transportation, electronic communications, and other such areas. The DLA MBA Program can be applied across the entire spectrum of DLA commodities and required services (but see 19.9003 for the commercial-item supply contract exception to mandatory inclusion).
