Scaling Critical Suppliers in Domestic Supply Chains

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) requests public input to inform the design of near-term initiatives intended to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity for critical components, subcomponents, materials, tooling, and specialized capabilities essential to economic resilience and national security. This request focuses on identifying opportunities to rapidly scale existing domestic supplier capacity in areas characterized by supply chain constraints or choke points. SBA is particularly interested in gaps where qualifying domestic small businesses have a demonstrated operating history but are unable to reach a specific near-term milestone due to a capital shortfall. Information received in response to this Request for information (RFI) will inform the development of SBA innovation programs and initiatives, including potential prize competitions designed to deliver measurable increases in production capacity, supplier participation, and supply chain resilience within a compressed execution window.