Technical and Business Assistance for SBIR/STTR Proposers

Many participating agencies in the SBIR/STTR program have long provided assistance to SBIR/STTR award winners in connection with improving their technical processes and business operations (TABA). Up until 2018, most of this assistance was provided either directly by the agency or through vendors selected by the agency. In 2018, the funding available for TABA was substantially increased, and
small businesses are now allowed to select their own vendors as an alternative to the vendor the agency has selected, if one exists.

As the enhanced TABA program is new, not all agencies have yet implemented it, and the manner in which TABA is administered varies greatly across agencies.

Every business needs one or more of the elements eligible to be funded by a TABA request. These include:
• Intellectual property planning and protection
• Assistance with financial plans for improving management or fund raising
• Assessing markets, competition and pricing
• Other services such legal help, installation of government approved accounting systems, and the training needed to operate them and anything else which can assist a small business in “developing and commercializing new products and processes”.

Now, small businesses can get the government to pay for this critical early-stage help. Without TABA, such assistance would be paid from the always-scarce financial resources of the Company. Or, more likely, the help would be deferred until some future date…often when it is too late.

Below are several organizations that support TABA: (For most agencies, TABA funds are provided above and beyond your award amount.)

Check back to this web page from time-to-time, because the amounts and details of TABA awards change frequently.

We believe every Phase I or Phase II proposal should be accompanied by a request for TABA funding. However, not every agency or every solicitation provides a TABA option. So the first step in the process is to check availability before submitting a proposal. In order for the company to select its own vendor the request for TABA funding must be included with the original technical proposal submission.

GovCon Alliance members can provide many, if not all, of the TABA-fundable services you need. We can help you assemble the right team of Alliance members for your particular situation, and can provide you with everything you need in order to request TABA as part of your proposal submission package. If you would like to find out more about TABA, just check the applicable box on the Contact Us page.