(a) Financial disputes. (1) A recipient organization wishing to resolve a financial dispute must submit a written statement to the appropriate Grants Management Officer with copies to the Project Officer describing the subject of the dispute, along with any relevant documentation. The Grants Management Officer will respond in writing to the recipient organization within 30 calendar days of receipt of the descriptive statement.

(2) If the recipient organization receives an unfavorable decision from the SBA, it may file an appeal with the AA/SBDC within 30 calendar days of the date of receipt of the unfavorable decision.

(3) The AA/SBDC may request additional information or documentation from the recipient organization at any stage of the proceedings. The response to the request for additional information must be provided in writing to the AA/SBDC within 15 calendar days of receipt of the request. The AA/SBDC will transmit a written decision to the recipient organization within 15 calendar days of receipt of the appeal or within 15 calendar days of receipt of additional information requested.

(4) If the recipient organization receives an unfavorable decision from the AA/SBDC, it may make a final appeal to the SBA Grants and cooperative agreements Appeals Committee (the “Committee”). The final appeal to the Committee must be filed within 30 calendar days of the date of receipt of the AA/SBDC's written decision. Copies of the appeal must also be sent to the Grants Management Specialist and the Program Manager. If the recipient organization elects not to file an appeal with the Committee, the decision of the AA/SBDC becomes the final Agency decision on the matter.

(5) A recipient organization may request a hearing before the Committee, but such requests will not be granted, unless material facts are substantially in dispute. Legal briefs and other technical forms of pleading are not required. However, appeals to the Committee must be in writing and contain at least the following information and supporting documentation:

(i) Name and address of the recipient organization;

(ii) Name and address of the appropriate SBA District Office(s);

(iii) A copy of the underlying cooperative agreement, including all amendments;

(iv) A statement of the grounds for appeal, with reasons why the appeal should be sustained;

(v) A statement of the specific relief desired on appeal; and

(vi) If a hearing is requested, a statement of the material facts the recipient organization believes are substantially in dispute. In the event a recipient organization fails to provide any of the information specified in paragraphs (a)(5)(i) through (v) of this section, the Committee may dismiss the appeal.

(6) The Committee may request additional information or documentation from the recipient organization at any stage in the proceedings. The recipient organization's response to the Committee must be submitted, in writing, within 15 calendar days of receipt of the request.

(7) If a request for a hearing is granted, the Committee will provide the recipient organization with written instructions and will afford the parties the opportunity to present their respective positions to the Committee.

(8) The Chairperson of the Committee, with the advice of the SBA's Office of General Counsel (OGC), will issue a final written decision within 30 calendar days of receipt of all information or within 30 calendar days of the completion of the hearing. Copies of the decision will be provided to the recipient organization, the AA/SBDC, the Grants Management Specialist, and the SBA Project Officer.

(9) Where a recipient organization's appeal to the Committee commences or is pending within 120 days of the end of the current budget period, the recipient organization has the right to request, in writing, that the matter be handled under an expedited appeal process. In such circumstances, the Committee, by an affirmative vote of its membership, may expedite the appeals process to attain final resolution of a dispute before the anticipated issuance date of a new cooperative agreement.

(b) Programmatic (non-financial) disputes. (1) The SBDC Lead Center and the SBA District Office must make every effort to resolve any disputes that arise between the SBDC network and SBA involving non-financial, programmatic issues. If the recipient organization is not satisfied with the resolution, it may, by written request to the AA/SBDC, seek reconsideration of the programmatic dispute within 30 calendar days. When a recipient organization requests reconsideration of a programmatic dispute, the appropriate Program Manager will forward a written summary of the dispute, including comments from the SBDC Lead Center Director, the SBA District Office, and all other pertinent background information to the AA/SBDC within 15 calendar days of SBA's receipt of the request.

(2) The AA/SBDC will transmit a final, written decision to the recipient organization, the Lead Center Director, the SBA Project Officer, and the SBA District Office within 30 calendar days of the receipt of such documentation, unless the recipient organization agrees to an extension of time.

[88 FR 76648, Nov. 7, 2023]