SBA Increases Size Standards in Transportation and Warehousing Sector

SBA Increases Size Standards in Transportation and Warehousing Sector

Proposes Increases for Health Care and Social Assistance Sector

Release Date: February 27, 2012
Contact: Tiffani Clements (202) 401 0035
Release Number: 12-0
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration today published a final rule in The Federal Register raising the size definitions of small businesses in the Transportation and Warehousing sector, and a proposed rule increasing the size standards for the Health Care and Social Assistance sector. The increases reflect changes in marketplace conditions.

The SBA initially proposed revisions to small business size definitions for the Transportation and Warehousing sector in a proposed rule published in The Federal Register on May 13, 2011, and made it available for public comment.

The final rule will increase the revenue-based size standards in 22 industries and retain the current size standards for the remaining 37 industries in the Transportation and Warehousing sector. The SBA estimates as many as 1,200 additional firms in this sector will become eligible for SBA programs as a result of these revisions.

The SBA also issued a proposed rule today to increase the small business size standards for 28 industries in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector. As many as 4,100 additional firms could become eligible for SBA’s programs and services if the proposed increases are adopted.

Comments can be submitted on this proposed rule on or before April 24, 2012, at www.regulations.gov, identified by RIN 3245-AG30, where they will be posted. You may also mail comments to Khem R. Sharma, Chief, Size Standards Division, 409 3rd St., SW, Mail Code 6530, Washington, DC 20416.

As part of an ongoing review of all size standards, the SBA takes into account the structural characteristics within individual industries, including average firm size, the degree of competition, and federal government contracting trends to ensure that small business size definitions reflect current economic conditions within those industries. Under provisions in the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, SBA will continue its comprehensive review of all size standards for the next several years.

The revisions to the size standards in these sectors will enable more small businesses to retain their small business status, will give federal agencies a larger selection of small businesses to choose from for small business procurement opportunities and help eligible small businesses benefit from SBA’s loan programs.

An SBA-issued White Paper entitled, “Size Standards Methodology”, which explains how the SBA establishes, reviews and modifies its receipts-based and employee-based small business size standards can be viewed at http://www.sba.gov/size. For more information about SBA’s revisions to its small business size standards, click on “What’s New with Size Standards” on SBA’s Web site at: http://www.sba.gov/size.

# # #