19.501  General.

5. Amend section 19.501 by removing paragraphs (c) and (d); redesignating paragraphs (e) through (i) as paragraphs (c) through (g), respectively; and revising the newly redesignated paragraph (c) to read as follows:

19.501  General.

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(c) The contracting officer shall review acquisitions to determine if they can be set aside for small business, giving consideration to the recommendations of agency personnel having cognizance of the agency's small business programs. The contracting officer shall perform market research and document why a small business set-aside is inappropriate when an acquisition is not set aside for small business, unless an award is anticipated to a small business under the 8(a), HUBZone, or service-disabled veteran-owned programs. If the acquisition is set aside for small business based on this review, it is a unilateral set-aside by the contracting officer. Agencies may establish threshold levels for this review depending upon their needs.

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