SourceAmerica Mentor/Protégé Program
Get connected. Grow together.
The SourceAmerica Mentor/Protégé Program invites prospective mentors and protégés to develop long-lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships and explore new contracting opportunities together. These partnerships aim to increase meaningful job options and create greater possibilities for people with disabilities, including support for veterans with disabilities, through the AbilityOne Program.
By combining the support of a proven contractor—the mentor—with the protégé organization's dynamic workforce through the AbilityOne Program, both organizations enhance their capabilities to deliver on federal contracts.
For protégés: AbilityOne federal contractor protégés will have the opportunity to learn from the expertise of other proven contractors and gain experience in new lines of business.
For mentors: Protégés will provide mentors with access to new federal contract opportunities, with limited competition, through the AbilityOne program.
Federal Government: Through this program, mentor/protégé partnerships expand capabilities for the AbilityOne Program. Participating organizations can now increase disability employment opportunities while promoting high-priority lines of business. Successful collaborations between AbilityOne federal contractors in the SourceAmerica network and government-based organizations increase federal supply chain options to add to the nation’s industrial base while employing more veterans and people with disabilities on federal contracts.
How It Works
Protégés and mentors formalize a partnership with a signed agreement and plan, defining the roles of both organizations. SourceAmerica-approved partnerships may last up to 10 years (or potentially longer).
Protégés, as prime on the contract, leverage the mentor’s past performance. The mentor supports the contract as the subcontractor.
Mentors and protégés will ultimately be able to pursue and bid on new AbilityOne and non-AbilityOne contracting opportunities together.
Over time, the protégé AbilityOne federal contractor increasingly oversees more of the contract operations until they can do it independently.
Benefits
The program provides mentors with federal contracting experience the opportunity to:
- Support the employment of a talented group of professionals with disabilities, including veterans and wounded warriors, and help achieve the goals for section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act
- Expand into new markets to find the next federal business opportunity
- Diversify portfolio/business development strategies to include the AbilityOne Program
- Add to their supply chain by leveraging the protégé's network
- Support a federal contract for 10 years or more without recompetition
- Bid on federal contracts with limited competition where pricing is not a primary barrier of entry
Additionally, the program benefits government agencies by:
- Enhancing contract performance. An expert contractor experienced in a specific line of business acts as a subcontractor to support and mentor an AbilityOne federal contractor, fostering long-term business relationships between established mentors and protégés.
- Reducing administrative burden when moving a contract outside of the typical acquisition cycle to the AbilityOne Procurement List.
- Supporting the AbilityOne Program and other federal socioeconomic directives to employ more people with disabilities on federal contracts. According to the Socioeconomic Impact study, we estimate that for every dollar spent on AbilityOne, $2.31 goes back to the federal government.
- Demonstrating support for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy pledge to uplift the AbilityOne Program.
Email MentorProtege@SourceAmerica.org to learn more or request a list of available protégés.
SourceAmerica administers the AbilityOne Program, which is a strong economic driver and a vital support for our nation's military. Learn more about how the AbilityOne Program positively impacts both the U.S. economy and communities nationwide.