§ 130.310 - Area of service.

§ 130.310 Area of service.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 88 FR 76642, Nov. 7, 2023.

(a) The AA/SBDC

shall

will designate, in

writing the Area of Service

the cooperative agreement, the geographic area of service of each recipient organization

, consistent with the State plan. More

. Generally, no more than one recipient organization may be located in a

State or Territory if the

state.

(1) The AA/SBDC

determines it

may determine that making awards to multiple recipient organizations in a state is necessary

or beneficial

to more effectively implement the Program

effectively

and

to

provide services to all interested small businesses.

(2) Once the Administration has entered into a cooperative agreement, a subsequent decision to change the recipient organization's area of service will be considered a non-renewal or termination. This decision will be subject to the procedures outlined in § 130.700.

(b) The recipient organization must locate its Lead Center and SBDC service centers in the designated area of service to ensure that services are readily accessible to all small businesses within the designated area of service.

(c) Any applicant commencing after January 1, 1992, must ensure that any new SBDC service centers established within its area of service, to the extent practicable, are primarily housed within institutions of higher education or a WBC operating pursuant to section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656) as stated in section 21(a)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(1)).

(d) The allocation of resources, including site locations of the Lead Center and the SBDC service centers, will be reviewed for adequacy of coverage by SBA as part of the application review process for each budget period.

[88 FR 76642, Nov. 7, 2023]