The 8(a) Program Isn't Being Killed. It's Being Starved. | Steven Koprince

The SBA hasn't let a single new company into the 8(a) Program in over 250 days. Federal contracts attorney and educator Steven Koprince explains what that means for the program's future and for the small businesses waiting at the door.Steven Koprince spent more than 20 years as a federal government contracts attorney, founding Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC before moving into education, writing, and board service. In this conversation with Chelsea Roberts, Steven walks through the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, the shifting culture around contracting officer discretion and bid protests, why AI-drafted GAO protests keep getting thrown out for hallucinated case law, and the slow-motion contraction of the 8(a) Program: SBA has approved only a fraction of its usual annual admissions and has not processed a new application since August 2025. Koprince also breaks down a common and costly SAM self-certification misconception that catches contractors off guard.Timestamps:00:03:00 — Legal environment shifts and the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul00:07:00 – 00:13:00 — Contracting officer discretion, bid protest strategy, and relationships with agencies00:15:00 – 00:19:00 — AI-drafted protests and hallucinated case law at GAO00:20:00 – 00:25:00 — The 8(a) Program's admissions freeze and sole-source pressure00:25:00 – 00:31:00 — Small business self-certification, affiliation rules, and the SAM misconceptionResource Links:Steven Koprince's LinkedIn profileChelsea's LinkedIn ProfileThe FedLift Launchpad🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHyLike and follow us:🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/🔹 Join our #govcon community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/