Federal glossary · Status
SBA Affiliation Rules (13 CFR 121.103) determine when two or more businesses are treated as one entity for size purposes. Triggers include common ownership, common management, identity of interest, and contractual relationships that give one firm power over another. Joint ventures and mentor-protege relationships have specific affiliation exceptions.
Example: An active opportunity vs. a closed opportunity in SAM.gov.
Reference record · Sources: Federal acquisition guidance · Verified Jul 2, 2026 · Covers definition, governing source
Also known as
SBA Affiliation Rules (13 CFR 121.103) determine when two or more businesses are treated as one entity for size purposes. Triggers include common ownership, common management, identity of interest, and contractual relationships that give one firm power over another. Joint ventures and mentor-protege relationships have specific affiliation exceptions.
is a status concept federal contractors and grant writers run into across solicitations, regulations, and award filings
Affiliation Rules is a federal-contracting concept that contractors encounter in solicitations, contracts, and supporting documentation. For example: Example: An active opportunity vs. a closed opportunity in SAM.gov. Understanding Affiliation Rules is part of the broader working vocabulary required to interpret federal procurement signals — RFPs, modifications, contracting-officer responses, and oversight reports all assume the reader is fluent in terms like Affiliation Rules. The related terms above sit in the same conceptual neighborhood; reading them together is faster than reading any one term in isolation, because federal procurement vocabulary is dense with cross-references. Bureauify's glossary is structured to make that browsing efficient: every term links to the network it lives in, not just its own definition.
Example: An active opportunity vs. a closed opportunity in SAM.gov.
Meaning in practice
Affiliation Rules is a federal-contracting concept that helps you read government language correctly.
Where you’ll see it
You will see it in solicitations, contracts, forms, and support documents. Example: Example: An active opportunity vs. a closed opportunity in SAM.gov..
Common confusion
People often read it as generic business language instead of a specific government term.
What to do next
Use the related terms and source trail to confirm how Bureauify is using it.
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