- Details
- By Brian Edwards
- Native Contracting
Native-owned federal contractors and tribal enterprises are pressing the U.S. Small Business Administration over delays in its 8(a) Business Development Program.
In a May 4 letter to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, the Native American Contractors Association and 53 Native-owned businesses said approvals for new Native community-owned 8(a) participants appear to have stalled since August 2025. The group also cited application reviews that, in some cases, have stretched beyond one year.
Federal regulations require SBA to determine within 15 days whether an application is complete. The agency is also required to process complete applications within 90 days.
“The 8(a) Business Development Program is not discretionary — it is a congressionally authorized pathway designed to expand opportunities for underserved businesses,” NACA Executive Director Quinton Carroll said in a statement. “When application reviews stall, Native-owned small businesses and the communities they support are left in limbo, with real economic consequences.”
The signatories included Alaska Native corporations, tribal enterprises and Native-owned contractors such as Chenega Corp., Chugach Alaska Corp., Cook Inlet Region Inc., Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Kaw Nation Industries, Koniag, Lumbee Holdings, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Potawatomi Ventures and Tribal One.
The letter said delays can disrupt hiring, workforce planning and investment decisions. Many Native-owned contractors use federal contracting revenue to support tribal government services, including healthcare, education, infrastructure and public safety.
The concerns come five months after Diane Cullo departed as assistant administrator of SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs, which works with tribal enterprises and Native-owned firms on federal contracting and business development issues, including the 8(a) program. Tribal Business News reported in December that the office was operating without permanent leadership during a broader SBA review of the 8(a) program.
Sources familiar with the situation told Tribal Business News the position remains vacant with no clear plans announced to fill the role.
For many tribes and Native-owned enterprises, the 8(a) program serves as a major source of federal contracting activity and revenue that supports tribal government operations. Native-owned firms received $16.1 billion of the program’s roughly $26 billion in federal contract awards during fiscal 2024, according to HigherGov data previously reported by Tribal Business News. Contracting income generated through tribally owned firms and Alaska Native corporations often helps fund healthcare, housing, infrastructure, education and other services in Native communities.
Tribal Business News reached out to SBA’s press office for comment on the letter and the status of the Office of Native American Affairs leadership position, but had not heard back by press time.
