The SBA Size Standards Rewrite: What Changes and How to Weigh In

On August 20, 2026, SBA proposed the largest rewrite of small business size standards in over a decade: 338 standards replacing the current 978, with individual increases ranging as high as 1,462% and no maximum cap for the first time. If finalized, an estimated 114K+ businesses would newly qualify as small. We're breaking down exactly what's proposed, who it affects first, and how to use the comment window before it closes on September 21, 2026.

Joining Brittany Winkler from GovDash are Judy Bradt, CEO of Summit Insight, who has spent 37 years advising Federal business leaders on capture strategy and growth decisions; Reggie Mitchell, Small Business Professional; and Will McCormick, Editorial Director at Set-Aside Alert and Creator/Host of GovCon Games, who tracks federal market shifts and what they mean for how buyers perceive and choose contractors.

We'll walk through the five methodology changes driving increases as high as 1,462%, including the shift from revenue-based to employee-based standards that changes construction and professional services differently, and why competitive pressure would concentrate hardest on businesses closest to today's threshold rather than spreading evenly across an industry. That includes the 37,002 current federal contractors, representing $71 billion in FY2025 contract dollars, who would newly qualify as small if the rule is finalized as proposed. We'll close with what to prioritize in a comment before the September 21 deadline.

What You'll Learn

• The five methodology changes behind increases as high as 1,462%, and what they mean for your specific NAICS code

• Which 37,002 current federal contractors, representing $71 billion in FY2025 contract dollars, would newly qualify as small if the rule is finalized as proposed

• Why competitive pressure would concentrate hardest on businesses closest to today's threshold, not evenly across an industry

• How the proposed shift from revenue-based to employee-based standards changes construction and professional services differently

• How agency small business programs (SDB, WOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone) intersect with a size standard shift like this

• How a suddenly larger pool of "small" businesses changes how buyers evaluate and choose among them, and what that means for your own market positioning

• What to prioritize in a comment before the September 21, 2026 deadline

Who Should Attend

• Small businesses checking whether their NAICS code's size or measure would change under the proposal

• Mid-tier contractors assessing potential new competition from newly small firms

• Capture and business development leaders reassessing set-aside strategy for FY27

• Contracts and compliance teams preparing for recertification questions

• Small business owners pursuing SDB, WOSB, SDVOSB, or HUBZone set-asides

• Business owners thinking about how to differentiate and position their company as the competitive field expands