COLLABORATE Act

HR 986, the COLLABORATE Act, requires the Defense Secretary and Small Business Administration (SBA) to create a formal agreement within one year to better coordinate government contracting assistance for small businesses. The agreement must ensure small business development centers (SBDCs) and APEX Accelerators (funded under defense procurement programs) avoid duplicating help or giving conflicting advice, clarify staff roles when they share locations, and mandate staff training on government contracting. This directly affects small businesses seeking federal contracts by aiming to streamline access to accurate, non-conflicting procurement support. The bill mandates a progress report to Congress within one year on implementing this coordination framework.