By Stephen D. Tobin on July 31, 2024
Posted in Joint Ventures, Mentor-Protégé
Under the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) mentor-protégé program, smaller businesses are afforded the tools to compete for government contracts by partnering with larger businesses that serve as mentors to the small businesses. In theory, both the mentor and the protégé benefit under the program, with the mentor gaining access to set-aside small business contracts that it would not otherwise be eligible for and the protégé receiving the advantages of the mentor’s experience, knowledge, and resources. But what happens when the two businesses do not get along, and one company is ready to give the boot to the other? The case between Yorktown Systems Group, Inc. and Threat Tec provides some helpful insight.