Small Business:
Development Centers Meet Counseling Needs of Most Clients
RCED-90-38BR: Published: Nov 22, 1989. Publicly Released: Dec 22, 1989.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program, focusing on: (1) client satisfaction with centers' and subcenters' assistance; (2) program funding sources; (3) program services; (4) client characteristics; (5) staff characteristics; and (6) effectiveness of on-site program reviews.
GAO found that: (1) over two-thirds of 997 clients responding to a questionnaire about SBDC assistance were satisfied with the counseling they received; (2) dissatisfied clients reported that they were not assisted quickly or that they did not receive useful assistance; (3) federal funding for SBDC increased from $360,000 for 9 centers in 1977 to $45 million for 53 centers in 1989, with 28 of those centers reaching their maximum federal funding limit; (4) SBA is investigating the feasibility of using a multiyear grant approval process to reduce centers' annual administrative burden associated with applying for funds; (5) centers and subcenters provided a variety of services to clients, typically emphasized counseling, and coordinated their activities with other organizations and programs; (6) clients receiving SBDC counseling were most frequently male, white, and 31 to 40 years old, had some college experience or a college degree, and were in or planned to be in retail or service sectors; (7) although few clients sought assistance in obtaining government contracts, minorities constituted one-third of clients receiving such assistance; (8) centers employed an average of 20 professional and support staff, while subcenters averaged 5; (9) directors were most often male, white, and 31 to 50 years old, and had a professional or graduate degree and several years of business experience; and (10) SBA and center directors reported that on-site reviews of centers provided SBA with program data not otherwise available and encouraged a forum for the exchange of ideas.
Nov 23, 2020
Consumer Privacy:
Better Disclosures Needed on Information Sharing by Banks and Credit UnionsGAO-21-36: Published: Oct 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 23, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
-
Consumer Product Safety Commission:
Actions Needed to Improve Processes for Addressing Product Defect CasesGAO-21-56: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Oct 30, 2020
-
Small Business Loans:
SBA Generally Incorporated Key Elements for Estimating Subsidy Cost of 7(a) ProgramGAO-20-618: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 30, 2020.
Oct 13, 2020
-
Aviation Consumer Protection:
Increased Transparency Could Help Build Confidence in DOT's Enforcement ApproachGAO-21-109: Published: Oct 13, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 13, 2020.
Oct 1, 2020
-
Small Business Administration:
COVID-19 Loans Lack Controls and Are Susceptible to FraudGAO-21-117T: Published: Oct 1, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 1, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
-
Small Business Research Programs:
Many Agencies' Award Issuances Are Not Timely; Some Practices May Improve TimelinessGAO-20-693: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
Sep 28, 2020
-
Intellectual Property:
Additional Agency Actions Can Improve Assistance to Small Businesses and InventorsGAO-20-556: Published: Aug 27, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 28, 2020.
Jul 30, 2020
-
Small Business Contracting:
Better Documentation and Reporting Needed on Procurement Center RepresentativesGAO-20-462: Published: Jun 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2020.
Jun 29, 2020
-
Small Business Subcontracting:
Oversight of Contractor Compliance with Subcontracting Plans Needs ImprovementGAO-20-464: Published: May 28, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2020.
Jun 22, 2020
-
Small Business Development Centers:
Reevaluation of How SBA Sets Initial Funding Estimate Needed to Help Reduce BurdenGAO-20-457: Published: May 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 22, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Business Regulation and Consumer Protection
Explore our other Key Issues here
