Accreditation
SBA Policy. Federal regulations provide that state/regional SBDC Programs be accredited (13 CFR 130.810(c)). This regulation is reflected in an agreement between the SBA Office of SBDCs and the Association of SBDCs (ASBDC-US), which states that each state/regional SBDC Program will have an accreditation review every four years. Failure to be accredited will result in loss of funding. “[T]he SBA may not renew or extend any cooperative agreement with an SBDC unless it has been approved under the accreditation program” (see 2006 SBA Program Announcement, page 14).
ASBDC-US Accreditation. The ASBDC-US has adopted Accreditation Standards based upon the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria (see Quality and Malcolm Baldrige Criteria). Reviews are conducted by members of the ASBDC-US Accreditation Committee. Both the Accreditation Standards and Accreditation Process are reviewed annually by the Accreditation Committee, which puts forth recommended changes to the ASBDC-US membership for approval. In recent years, changes have been introduced rapidly in order to increase alignment between the ASBDC-US Accreditation Standards and the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria.
Alabama Small Business Development Center Network Approach to Accreditation. It is the policy of the Alabama Small Business Development Center Network (and an objective in its State Strategic Plan) to not only maintain accreditation, but to continuously move closer and closer to fulfillment of the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria. This process is fundamental within the Alabama SBDC Network and is reflected in its annual cycle of activities.
