The following article was posted in a special edition The Angle. I encourage all of you to participate in the discussion, and submit comments to both the SBA and the AIA.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed new size standards for what defines an architecture small business, leading to potentially large impacts on many design firms across the country.
The SBA has said that they are trying to simplify the regulatory process and combine what they consider to be similar professions into a single standard. The SBA is proposing to change the size standards for architecture firms from $4.5 million in annual net revenue to $19 million. As of 2009, just over 90 percent of architecture firms qualified as an SBA small business under the $4.5 million threshold based on their billings. Under a $19 million standard, that percentage would rise to nearly 98 percent.
The SBA is accepting public comments on their proposed rule until May 16.The AIA also seeks input from its members about the impact of these proposed changes. Members can comment at the AIA's LinkedIn or Facebook sites to get the conversation started. The AIA also has launched a resource page on the SBA proposal, on which you can find additional information, data, and instructions on submitting comments directly to the SBA.
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Adam Melis
Director, Advocacy Outreach
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
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