Generic Clearance for SBA Customer Experience Data Collections

Official SBA invitation letter and email

[SBA LETTERHEAD]

All Small Mentor-Protégé Program Evaluation

<Date>

All Small Mentor-Protégé Program

409 3rd Street, S.W.

8th Floor

Washington, D.C. 20416

Dear <Participant name>

You are receiving this letter because you have [withdrawn an application to participate/voluntarily terminated your participation] in the US Small Business Administration (SBA) All Small Mentor-Protégé Program (ASMPP). This program seeks to develop strong protégé firms through mentor-provided business development assistance, and to help them successfully compete for government contracts.

The SBA has hired a small business research organization, Optimal Solutions Group (Optimal), to conduct a study concerning the ASMPP. The goals of this study are to learn why mentors and protégés withdrew enrollment or terminated program participation and what could be done to improve program enrollment, participation, and outcomes. We want to hear your voice and learn about your experiences with the program. Your opinion and feedback are very important for the SBA’s efforts to improve its services to America’s small businesses.

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and will last about 30 minutes. Your answers will be kept completely confidential. Your name will never be used in any report of this study, and your individual answers will not be reported to any SBA employee.

SBA (including its contractor) may not conduct this study unless it is currently approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The current OMB Approval Number for this study is 3245-XXXX, which expires on XXXXX. If you have any comments or concerns about the estimated 30 minutes to participate, please submit them to: Director, Records Management Division, Small Business Administration, 409 Third Street, SW, Washington DC 20416, or SBA Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington DC 20503.

If you have any questions or concerns about your participation in this study, please contact

• Daniel Gluck at Optimal at 301-306-1170 ext. 156, ASMPP@optimalsolutionsgroup.com or

• Kanika Perkins at SBA, 202-205-7226, Kanika.Perkins@sba.gov.

For more information about the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program, please visit: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/all-small-mentor-protege-program

Please read and sign the consent form, keep one copy, and send the other copy to Optimal using the pre-addressed postage paid envelope.

Once Optimal receives your signed consent form, an Optimal representative will contact you to schedule the 30-minute phone interview or will send you the link to the web survey that should take less than 30 minutes to complete.

Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

<signature>

Kanika Perkins, title

Participant Interview Schedule

Please complete the form below to indicate the best time for the phone interview. Please, email to ASMPP@optimalsolutionsgroup.com or mail it back in the pre-addressed postage paid envelope provided.

Name (print):
Email:
Phone: ( )	Alternate Phone: ( )
Convenient times to be contacted Monday through Friday (check all that apply):
9:00AM – 10:00AM	2:00PM – 3:00PM
10:00AM – 11:00AM	3:00PM – 4:00PM
Noon – 1:00PM	5:00PM – 6:00PM
1:00PM – 2:00PM	6:00PM – 7:00PM

Additional information you would like to provide (please write below):

Follow-up recruitment email and phone call script to web survey non-respondents

<Date>

Optimal Solutions Group, LLC
5825 University Research Ct., Suite 2800
College Park, MD 20740

RE: Evaluation of the US Small Business Administration (SBA), All Small Mentor-Protégé Program

Dear <Participant name>:

On <date>, you were sent a letter and an e-mail describing the evaluation of the SBA All Small Mentor-Protégé Program. We are cordially inviting you to participate in this study that will collect information regarding your experiences with the program, the reasons for your withdrawal from the program, and your suggestions for the program improvement. Your participation is very important in assisting the SBA to improve the program to ensure that firms like yours have better experiences enrolling, participating, and benefiting from this valuable program.

The survey should take less than 30 minutes and your answers will be kept completely confidential. Your name will never be used in any report of this study, and your individual answers will not be reported to any member of the SBA. To complete the survey, please follow the link below:

<INDIVIDUALIZED SURVEY LINK>

If you have any questions or concerns about your participation in this study, please contact

• Daniel Gluck at Optimal at 301-306-1170 ext. 156, ASMPP@optimalsolutionsgroup.com or

• Kanika Perkins at SBA, 202-205-7226, Kanika.Perkins@sba.gov.

For more information about the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program, please visit: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/all-small-mentor-protege-program

Thank you again for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Turner, Project Director

Follow-up recruitment email and phone call script for interviews

<Date>

Optimal Solutions Group, LLC
5825 University Research Ct., Suite 2800
College Park, MD 20740

RE: Evaluation of the US Small Business Administration (SBA), All Small Mentor-Protégé Program

Dear <Participant name>:

On <date>, you were sent a letter and an e-mail describing the evaluation of the SBA All Small Mentor-Protégé Program. We are cordially inviting you to participate in a phone interview to collect information regarding your experiences with the program, the reasons for your withdrawal from the program, and your suggestions for the program improvement. Your participation is very important in assisting the SBA to improve the program to ensure that firms like yours have better experiences enrolling, participating, and benefiting from this valuable program.

The interview should take less than 30 minutes and your answers will be kept completely confidential. Your name will never be used in any report of this study, and your individual answers will not be reported to any member of the SBA.

Please fill-out the participant interview schedule to indicate the best time to complete the interview and send this form to Optimal either using the pre-addressed postage paid envelope or via the email ASMPP@optimalsolutionsgroup.com.

If you have any questions or concerns about your participation in this study, please contact

• Daniel Gluck at Optimal at 301-306-1170 ext. 156, ASMPP@optimalsolutionsgroup.com or

• Kanika Perkins at SBA, 202-205-7226, Kanika.Perkins@sba.gov.

For more information about the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program, please visit: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/all-small-mentor-protege-program

Thank you again for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Turner, Project Director

Thank you email and letter

<Date>

Optimal Solutions Group, LLC
5825 University Research Ct., Suite 2800
College Park, MD 20740

RE: Evaluation of the US Small Business Administration (SBA), All Small Mentor-Protégé Program

Dear <Participant name>:

Thank you for your participation in the evaluation of the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program. Your participation was very important in assisting the SBA to improve the program and ensure that firms like yours have better experiences enrolling, participating, and benefiting from this valuable program. The information collected by this evaluation will ultimately help the SBA better serve our nation’s small businesses.

If you have any questions or concerns about your participation in this study, please contact

• Daniel Gluck at Optimal at 301-306-1170 ext. 156, ASMPP@optimalsolutionsgroup.com or

• Kanika Perkins at SBA, 202-205-7226, Kanika.Perkins@sba.gov.

For more information about the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program, please visit: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/all-small-mentor-protege-program

Thank you again for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Turner, Project Director