H.R. 4842 — SBIR Commercialization Improvement Act

This section establishes training activities for federal contracting officers and agency acquisition workforce (i.e., employees with procurement responsibilities) on Phase III acquisitions under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. (As background, SBIR and STTR provide federal R&D funding to small businesses in phased awards, with Phase III enabling commercialization of successful technologies via federal contracts.) The Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator must coordinate with the Secretary of Defense, General Services Administration Administrator, and other appropriate agency heads to cover program missions, goals, and authorities; Phase III agreements and data rights; and execution of Phase III sole source awards.

This section enhances Phase III requirements under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs—i.e., the commercialization phase where federal agencies procure technologies developed in Phase I (feasibility) and Phase II (development)—as follows: (1) directs procurement center representatives to advocate for maximum practicable Phase III awards to small business concerns and requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator to modify related policy directives within one year of enactment; and (2) requires federal agencies and prime contractors to report to the SBA Administrator on developing simplified, standardized procedures and model contracts for SBIR Phases I, II, and III awards and to issue standardized solicitation provisions and contract clauses specifying information small businesses must provide for Phase III eligibility.

This section revises headings in subsection 9(r) of the Small Business Act—pertaining to justifications for Phase III awards under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program—by (1) inserting “Sole Source and Other” after “Justification for” in the subsection heading, and (2) inserting “sole source and other” after “justification for” in the heading for paragraph (4).