​Mentor-Protégé Program

The Pennsylvania Department of General Services launched its Mentor Protégé Program (MPP) in May 2024, a year-long program that helps small businesses (SBs), small diverse businesses (SDBs), and veteran business enterprises (VBEs) compete for more contracting opportunities with the Commonwealth.

The MPP, established under Governor Shapiro's Executive Order 2023-18, provides protégé business owners with one-on-one mentoring relationships with seasoned prime contractors. Mentors provide guidance, support, and valuable insights to help protégés improve their business management and contract bidding skills which could be useful in acquiring additional Commonwealth business.

To fill the first cohort of proteges, DGS' Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO), which administers the MPP, sent invitations to SBs that were pre-qualified to fill an IT services contract with the Commonwealth. These SBs were sent an Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) and were required to answer basic business operational questions and participate in mandatory online training.​

BDISBO chose mentors who are in good standing with the Commonwealth and have served as a prime contractor on a Pennsylvania contract valued at more than $300,000 during the past three years.

Additional cohorts will be added to the MPP soon. Anyone interested in applying, who is not a current ITQ vendor with the Commonwealth, can register at the following link. For questions regarding the MPP, please contact Charlie White, MPP Manager, at charliwhit@pa.gov.