SBIR / STTR Comments on Pending SBA Policy Directive In Support of the SBA Policy Directive   The following is a collection of comments made in support of the policy directive. These comments are from sources who wish to have their names withheld. With the SBA offering exemptions to work with federal facilities AFTER an Award is made, small businesses can optionally work with federal facilities without feeling the pressure of being forced into a federal subcontract as a precursor to an SBIR award. The policy directive should stand. This policy directive will help insure that a solicitation topic is not formulated with the intent to steer a subcontract award to a particular laboratory. It is hard to avoid the environment of special interest claims when a laboratory that is listed as a subcontractor includes an employee that is also an agency reviewer. Subcontracting back to federal facilities should only be considered when the services needed are not available in the commercial marketplace. The directive makes sense and has considerable support on the hill. Comments have come from individual businesses as well as support organizations. Return