The Office of Advocacy’s mission includes providing research documenting the status of small businesses and the impact of important trends. To fulfill this task Advocacy periodically funds small business research from researchers through requests for quotations (RFQs). Areas of continuing interest are listed below and have been chosen because they are researchable, show the status or role of small businesses, can be a catalyst for further research, or may provide policymaking insight. The proposal solicitations and synopses are listed on FedBizOpps. (If this link is not active, go to www.fedbizopps.gov and search for Small Business Administration listings.)
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS IS TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. EST. The following solicitations are currently open. Please copy and paste link onto internet browser to access solicitation listed on FedBizOpps.
- SBAHQ-11-Q-0027 – Research state regulatory flexibility act (link https://www.fbo.gov/download/12e/12ef5f67af59f09b00e50540743a1ed5/combined_synopsis_solicitation.pdf)
- SBAHQ-11-Q-0029 – Research misc small business topics using large databases (link https://www.fbo.gov/download/512/512eeb557980714fd31ff75d27148e52/combined_synopsis_solicitation.pdf)
- SBAHQ-11-Q-0030 – Research on role of universities in SB innovation (link https://www.fbo.gov/download/4ad/4add1707f0c679db90f258379140e527/combined_synopsis_solicitation.pdf)
- SBAHQ-11-Q-0031 – Research on impact of the 2010 gulf oil spill (link https://www.fbo.gov/download/b71/b71bd5e54637f6f213045d1606058c28/combined_synopsis_solicitation.pdf)
- SBAHQ-11-Q-0032 – Research on misc topics on impact of regulations on Small Businesses (link https://www.fbo.gov/download/958/95848c0fdbae8bb628268015ac94d1c1/combined_synopsis_solicitation.pdf)
- SBAHQ-11-Q-0033 – Research on small business finance using large datasets (link https://www.fbo.gov/download/db0/db088f0ca0cf937f214849c234d2d9b3/combined_synopsis_solicitation.pdf)
Note that on 3 of the 6 RFQs (SBAHQ-11-Q-0029, SBAHQ-11-Q-0032, SBAHQ-11-Q-0033) there are multiple suggested research topics that are listed within the solicitation description rather than in the solicitation title. Each of these research opportunities are small business set-asides.
See the above linked performance work statements on FedBizOpps for more information on each issue area. It is important that all respondents follow the instructions provided for submitting proposals. Please note that regular mail to government offices in Washington, D.C., experiences significant delays. Other methods, such as overnight and certified mail, are preferred and are more timely.
For ideas of previously funded topics by Advocacy see (Advocacy’s Research and Statistics) or http://archive.sba.gov/advo/research/chron.html or (Research and Statistics) http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/847.