The SBAExchange initiative has been put on hold. Any business that had signed up for it should have been notified and fees paid should have been refunded.
If you have questions concerning this program, contact SBAExchange Program Manager Carol Thompson at (202) 205-6118 or email her at carol.thompson@sba.gov.
Following is a description of the suspended program and how it works:
The newest opportunity for you to market your company's products and services to the government is SBAExchange, an electronic tool created by the SBA to assist small businesses in their e-procurement efforts. Under SBAExchange, government buyers can award simplified acquisitions up to $100,000 (including micro-purchases) and make purchases and payments electronically with the government-wide commercial purchase card. In addition, small businesses can participate, with little or no technical expertise or equipment investment, in an e-procurement system.
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Remember that purchases of between $2,500 and $100,000 are, by statute, reserved for small businesses. Therefore, all purchases made through SBAExchange will be made from small businesses. (SBAExchange will also allow agencies to make purchases implementing the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act under the rules of the Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled.)
Also keep in mind that purchases under $100,000 account for 98 percent of all federal purchases.
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Small businesses that decide to participate in SBAExchange receive a number of benefits, including a fully hosted, supplier branded, e-commerce web site; exposure to federal buying authorities, large federal prime contractors, and other large buying officials; an electronic catalog; a centralized order management system for receiving and processing Internet-based orders from federal, state, local, and commercial buying authorities; a management system for tracking new business and for creating and submitting quotes; and assistance in managing their new site.
Agencies also receive a number of benefits, including credit toward small business goals, access to socioeconomic data and demographic reports, and a tool for monitoring agency and individual staff small business goals and objectives.
The cost for small businesses to participate in SBAExchange is $1500 per year. Additionally, a transaction fee of 2 percent will be added to all orders. Instructions regarding payment arrangements and discounts can be found at www.SBAExchange.gov.
SBAExchange differs from other electronic commerce programs and malls in that there is no requirement for small businesses to have a contract with the government in order for government buyers to buy from these firms. For example, GSA Advantage! is an electronic mall of catalogs for pre-existing contracts with GSA.
The SBA kicked off this program on March 30, 2003, but suspended it some three months later.
For more information on SBAExchange, simply follow the step-by-step instructions available at the web site www.SBAExchange.gov.