AIA Seeks Member Input on Proposed SBA Small-Business Standards

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed significant increases to the size
standards that determine which architecture and other professional services firms
qualify as small businesses for federal contracting.

AIA is concerned that substantially higher thresholds could require small architecture
firms to compete for set-aside contracts against firms with significantly greater staff,
revenue, resources, and federal contracting experience. This could reduce opportunities
to serve as prime contractors, make it harder for smaller firms to build federal past
performance, and encourage agencies to bundle work into larger procurements.

AIA supports reasonable updates that account for inflation and help firms navigate the
“graduation cliff,” while preserving meaningful opportunities for genuinely small firms to
compete and grow.

AIA is preparing formal comments to SBA and needs your input. If your firm
currently qualifies as small, recently exceeded the threshold, or regularly pursues
federal work, please tell us:

• How would the proposed thresholds affect your ability to compete for federal contracts?
• Would larger eligible competitors affect your opportunities to serve as a prime contractor?
• Are contract bundling or current size standards already creating challenges?
• What changes would better address the graduation cliff?
• Can you share specific examples or data illustrating these impacts?

Please share your feedback with Advocacy@ aia.org by Friday, September 4.

AIA Leads Strategy Discussion on Section 106 and Historic Preservation

AIA convened historic-preservation advocates, legal practitioners, design professionals,
and Tribal representatives at the Global Campus for Architecture and Design to develop
a coordinated strategy for strengthening historic-preservation and Section 106
protections in the next Congress.
The discussion focused on the legal and policy implications of proposed changes
affecting nationally significant sites and buildings, including the White House, U.S.
Capitol complex, Kennedy Center, and Lafayette Park. Participants also examined the
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s ongoing Section 106 rulemaking, including
an anticipated 30-day public comment period, and discussed opportunities to coordinate
public comments, congressional engagement, and potential litigation strategies.

Participants emphasized the importance of developing clear, actionable requests for
Congress; addressing misconceptions that Section 106 review unnecessarily delays
projects; and using compelling, project-specific examples to demonstrate how the law
protects historic and cultural resources while allowing projects to move forward. The
group also identified continued coordination among preservation, legal, design, and
Tribal stakeholders as critical to presenting a unified strategy for protecting and
strengthening the federal historic-preservation framework.

Watch the State & Local Team’s Q3 Fireside Chat

The Government Affairs & Public Policy (GAPP) State & Local team sat down with
Elizabeth Wolverton of the AIA Trust and Kevin Collins of Victor Insurance for a deep
dive into everything architects need to know about professional liability, including how
tort and contract law shape your risk exposure, statute of repose battles, the Spearin
Doctrine, and certificate of merit laws actually mean for your firm on the ground. Packed
with real claims data, this conversation connects the dots between what's happening in
your state legislature and what ends up in your insurance policy. Watch here>