What Is a Partial Small Business Set-Aside?
A partial set-aside reserves only part of a contract's work, such as some of its line items or quantity, for small businesses; the rest is open to any company.
Partial set-aside in plain English
Agencies use it when small businesses can do some of the work but not all of it. The solicitation says which part is set aside.
On FedReady a card marked "Small business (partial)" is one of these.
Related terms
- Set-aside: A set-aside is a contract reserved for small businesses, or for one type of small business such as HUBZone or women-owned firms. Others can't bid.
- Total set-aside: A total set-aside reserves the whole contract for small businesses: only companies that are small under the notice's NAICS code can win it.
- Rule of two: The rule of two requires a set-aside for small businesses when at least two responsible small businesses are expected to offer at fair market prices.
Put it to work
Looking for another term? Browse the full glossary or the government contracting glossary guide.
Cyrus Hakimi writes and edits these definitions, using AI tools to help research and draft them, from the FAR, SBA rules and SAM.gov documentation. They're general information, not legal advice. Rules and thresholds change, so confirm the numbers on the official source before you act.