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.
For protégés: Producing nonprofit agency protégés will have the opportunity to learn from the expertise of mentoring organizations and gain experience in new lines of business.
For mentors: Protégés will provide mentors with resources and best practices to help meet their diversity and inclusion goals and further corporate social responsibilities.
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 nonprofit agencies in the SourceAmerica network and government-based organizations drive business growth and help the workplace become more accessible and inclusive for all.
Benefits
The program provides organizations with federal contracting experience the opportunity to:
- 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
- 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
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-authorized nonprofit agency, fostering long-term business relationships between established mentors and nonprofit protégés.
- 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
- Reducing administrative cost burden by not having to recompete every five years
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 leverage the mentor’s past performance to be prime on a contract with the mentor supporting as the subcontractor.
- Mentors and protégés will ultimately be able to pursue and bid on new AbilityOne and non-AbilityOne contracting opportunities together.
Email MentorProtege@SourceAmerica.org to learn more or request a list of available protégés.