How to Complete and File DD Form 2579: Blocks, Signatures, and Filing

DD Form 2579, the Small Business Coordination Record, is the Department of Defense’s documented checkpoint confirming that a contracting officer considered small business participation before a solicitation goes out. Any DoD acquisition above the micro-purchase threshold that is not entirely set aside for small business must be captured on the form and reviewed by the contracting activity’s small business specialist before issuance.¹ The current edition (August 2015) is available as a fillable PDF from the DoD Forms Management Program.²

When You Need the Form

The trigger is simple. If the acquisition exceeds the micro-purchase threshold and is not totally set aside for small business, it needs a DD 2579. The micro-purchase threshold rose to $15,000 on October 1, 2025, up from $10,000.³

Modifications can also pull an acquisition back into the process. If a modification increases the scope of a contract or of an order under a Federal Supply Schedule contract, it should go through small business specialist review, because a scope change can affect the subcontracting plan. Funding-only or purely administrative modifications generally do not.⁴

Bundled and consolidated acquisitions get extra handling. Under FAR 2.101, bundling occurs when previously separate smaller requirements are combined into a single solicitation likely unsuitable for small business award because of size, diversity, geographic dispersion, or specialized nature.⁵ For bundled requirements, the contracting officer must give the acquisition package to the SBA procurement center representative at least 30 days before issuing the solicitation, together with a justification for why the work can’t be broken into smaller lots.⁶

When You Don’t

Not every purchase above $15,000 needs the form. Coordination on the DD 2579 is not required when the requirement is satisfied through a mandatory government source listed at FAR 8.002 or 8.003 — agency inventory, Federal Prison Industries, AbilityOne Procurement List items, GSA stock, and similar wholesale supply sources.⁷⁸ Acquisitions under the simplified acquisition threshold ($350,000) that are totally set aside for small business are also generally exempt from the specialist review, though individual agencies can still require it, particularly to identify opportunities for HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, or women-owned small business set-asides.⁴

Filling Out the Blocks That Matter

The form runs about 18 blocks. Most are identifying information. The substantive work sits in a handful of them, and PGI 253.219-70 governs how each is filled.⁹

Block 3: Total Estimated Value

Enter the total estimated value including all option years. For multiple-award task or delivery order contracts, enter the total estimated value across all anticipated orders, not just the base year.⁹

Block 7a: Item or Service Description

A generic label is not enough. Describe quantity, unique delivery requirements, type of service, and place of performance. For services, attach the Performance Work Statement, Statement of Work, Statement of Objectives, or equivalent specifications.⁹

Block 7c: NAICS Code

The NAICS code drives the size standard, which decides whether a firm qualifies as small for this contract. Pick the code that best fits the principal purpose of the acquisition using the Census Bureau’s NAICS directory. A wrong code can disqualify firms that should be eligible and can expose the procurement to a size-standard protest.

Block 10: Set-Aside Recommendation

Blocks 10a through 10j are checkboxes for the specialist’s recommendation. Check all that apply; a small business set-aside can also be a multiple-award, for example. A HUBZone recommendation (10c) or service-disabled veteran-owned small business recommendation (10d) needs the applicable justification under FAR 19.1306(a) and 19.1406(a) attached.⁷

Block 11a: Market Research

This is the evidentiary heart of the form. Attach the written acquisition plan (if required under FAR 7.104(d)) and the market research results. That includes any justification and approval under FAR 6.3, sole-source or brand-name justifications under FAR 13.106 or 13.501, sources-sought synopses posted to SAM.gov, requests for information, responses received, and any waivers to the nonmanufacturer rule under FAR 19.5. If you are not recommending a small business set-aside, the market research needs to demonstrate that qualified small businesses could not be found. Boilerplate about market conditions will not survive review.⁹

Block 12: Bundling and Consolidation

Indicate whether the acquisition is consolidated or bundled. If yes, the following blocks require documentation of the steps the contracting officer will take to maximize small business participation, including subcontracting goals and source-selection evaluation factors favoring small business utilization.⁷

Block 13: Subcontracting Plan

Answer yes or no on whether a subcontracting plan is required. When the contract will go to a large business, or the acquisition is consolidated or bundled, the block needs specifics on how small business participation will be maximized at the subcontract level. The PGI directs the contracting officer to consider FAR 19.7, acquisition history, anticipated subcontracting goals, market research on small business capability as subcontractors, source-selection evaluation factors under DFARS 215.304 and 215.305, incentives, and performance metrics. State detailed objectives and attach extra pages as needed.⁷

Review, Signatures, and Non-Concurrence

Once the form and its supporting documents are assembled, the package goes to the contracting activity’s small business specialist. The specialist evaluates the market research, the acquisition strategy, and the set-aside recommendation, then signs indicating concurrence or non-concurrence.¹⁰

When the acquisition involves a deviation from standard set-aside procedures or is particularly large, the form is forwarded to the SBA procurement center representative. Under FAR 19.402, the SBA PCR has 15 days after receiving the package to review and recommend.¹¹ The DD 2579 must be approved by all required parties, including the SBA PCR when applicable, before the solicitation issues.¹⁰

The form carries three signature blocks: the SBA representative (Block 15), the contracting officer (Block 17), and the small business specialist (Block 18). The contracting officer marks “concurs” or “rejects” on the specialist’s recommendation. The specialist marks “concurs” or “appeals.”¹²

If the contracting officer rejects a recommendation from the small business specialist, the contracting officer must refer that recommendation to the SBA PCR. If no PCR is assigned to the activity, the contracting officer follows FAR 19.402(a).¹ Any change to the acquisition plan described in the coordination record sends the form back to the specialist for re-evaluation.¹² Thin market research in Block 11a or boilerplate rationale for skipping a set-aside is where non-concurrence typically lands. Building a thorough record up front is faster than reworking one after a rejection.

Filing the Approved Form

After all parties sign, the approved DD 2579, the signed market research report, and sources-sought documentation go into the official contract file.¹³ Auditors and Government Accountability Office reviewers pull this form early when checking whether an agency met its small business contracting goals. A missing or incomplete form can produce audit findings and, in a protest, gives a disappointed bidder evidence that the agency skipped required procedures.

1
Acquisition.GOV. DFARS 219.201 – General Policy
2
DoD Forms Management Program. DD 2579 – Small Business Coordination Record
3
Federal Register. Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds
4
Acquisition.GOV. PGI 219.201 – General Policy
5
Defense Acquisition Regulations System. Bundling Guidance
6
GovInfo. Federal Acquisition Regulation 19.202-1
7
Acquisition.GOV. PGI 253.219-70 DD Form 2579, Small Business Coordination Record
8
eCFR. 48 CFR 8.002 – Priorities for Use of Mandatory Government Sources
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Defense Pricing and Contracting. PGI 253.219 – Small Business Programs
10
Acquisition.gov. Part 5119 – Small Business Programs
11
eCFR. 48 CFR 19.402 – Small Business Administration Procurement Center Representatives
12
Defense Acquisition Regulations System. DD Form 2579 Small Business Coordination Record
13
Acquisition.GOV. 5819.202 Specific Policies