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HUB Mentor Protégé Program

The State of Texas Mentor Protégé Program is designed to foster relationships between prime contractors and Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs). The objective of the Mentor Protégé Program is to provide professional guidance and support to the protégé (HUB) in order to facilitate their growth and development and increase HUB contracts and subcontracts with the State of Texas.

The mentor-protégé relationship is mutually beneficial since mentors can use their protégés to fulfill HUB subcontracting requirements when bidding on state contracts with expected values of $100,000 or more. It is advantageous to build a partnership prior to a solicitation or contract award to establish confidence in performance.

State agencies serve as sponsors for the Mentor Protégé agreements. Companies interested in establishing a state Mentor Protégé agreement should:

  1. Contact a state agency you have already done business with or search the HUB Report for agencies that purchase the goods and services your company provides.
  2. Ask how they match prospective mentors and protégés.

Administration

Each state agency with a biennial appropriation that exceeds $10 million, shall implement a Mentor Protégé Program. State agencies may elect to implement a Mentor Protégé Program individually or cooperatively, and are encouraged to address the needs of protégé businesses in critical areas of state procurement.

Participation in the program requires the protégé be State of Texas HUB certified and the Mentor Protégé Agreement be sponsored by a state agency.

The following criteria may be considered for Mentor participation by state agencies:

  • Registration with the State of Texas Centralized Master Bidders List,
  • Previous mentoring experience and prior work history,
  • Ability to provide developmental guidance in areas identified by the protégé, and
  • "Good Standing" in doing business with the State of Texas.

The following criteria may be considered for Protégé participation by state agencies:

  • Eligibility and willingness to obtain HUB certification under the State of Texas HUB Program (Protégé must be certified as a HUB prior to SPD listing the Mentor Protégé Agreement on the official list),
  • Business in operation for at least one year,
  • Desire to participate with a mentoring firm,
  • Ability to identify the type of guidance needed for business development, and
  • "Good Standing" in doing business with the State of Texas.

For more information, please contact SPD's Statewide HUB Program toll-free at: 888-863-5881.