Regional Innovation Clusters

The SBA seeks contractors to establish and operate Regional Innovation Clusters that create public-private partnerships aligning federal, state, and local resources to catalyze technology innovation and economic growth. RICs will assist small businesses in matching innovative technology to industry needs, with explicit focus on reshoring critical manufacturing and industrial capabilities, securing national supply chains, and supporting job creation in industries critical to national security.

Non-profit or for-profit firms with active SAM.gov registration and federal contracting eligibility. Ideal applicants have demonstrated expertise in regional economic development, small business support service delivery, cluster management, and existing partnerships within their target industry and geographic region. Applicants must disclose any existing active RIC contracts to prevent service duplication.

1. 1Understanding of RIC requirements and proposed cluster qualifications (High/Medium/Low Confidence rating)
2. 2Soundness of proposed approach and key personnel assignments
3. 3Quality of technical approach (comprehensiveness, completeness, feasibility)
4. 4Industry and region selection with competitive advantage analysis using quantitative and qualitative data
5. 5Current state assessment of chosen industry and cluster network challenges
6. 6Relevance and strength of identified industry stakeholders and existing cluster partnerships
7. 7Small business support service delivery plan and coordination mechanisms
8. 8Cluster management and oversight capabilities
9. 9Report development and metrics methodology
10. 10Business behavior and contractor reasonableness in responding to requirements changes
11. 11Past performance on similar projects

Submit offers via SAM.gov by the specified deadline. Proposals limited to 10 pages (Evaluation Step 1: Pages 1–12 covering industry/region, cluster network creation, and small business support services; Evaluation Step 2: Pages 13–17 for management and reporting). Include UEI, company name, contact information, price schedule with detailed cost breakdown by labor category and SubCLIN, representations/certifications, and statement of agreement with all terms. Graphics and tables count toward page limit. Price schedule and SubCLIN details submitted separately and not counted in page limit; only the Lump Sum Not-to-Exceed amount for CLIN 0001 evaluated for price.