license: other
license_name: tensorust-sample-license
license_link: https://tensorust.com/datasets/8a-graduation-cliff/
pretty_name: 8(a) Graduation Cliff (free sample)
language:
- en
tags:
- tensorust
- sample
- federal-contractors
- government-data
- finance
size_categories:
- n<1K
configs:
- config_name: sample
data_files:
- split: train
path: sample.csv
- config_name: summary
data_files:
- split: train
path: summary_by_state.csv
8(a) Graduation Cliff: free sample (Tensorust LLC)
Every 8(a) firm leaving the program in the next 18 months, with the 8(a) contract dollars behind it.
Headline: 673 SBA 8(a) firms hit the end of their nine-year term between Nov 6 2026 and May 6 2028, and 294 of them hold 8(a) set-aside awards still in performance worth $3.38B; once they graduate they cannot win new 8(a) work.
This repository is a free teaser, not the dataset. It holds 25 example rows and a summary table with no names in it. The full file has 673 rows and is sold by Tensorust LLC: https://tensorust.com/datasets/8a-graduation-cliff/.
Files here
| file | what it is |
|---|---|
sample.csv |
25 rows of the full file (the same sample shown on tensorust.com) |
summary_by_state.csv |
row counts and totals by state across the full file, no entity names (groups with fewer than 3 rows are folded into "Other") |
Summary by state (largest groups)
| State | rows | Live 8(a) awards (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 117 | 803,146,233 |
| Alaska | 65 | 725,192,811 |
| Maryland | 64 | 323,833,190 |
| Florida | 49 | 97,445,826 |
| Texas | 40 | 266,982,125 |
| California | 37 | 134,077,355 |
| Alabama | 25 | 58,684,221 |
| District of Columbia | 21 | 77,760,758 |
| Georgia | 17 | 22,923,613 |
| Oklahoma | 14 | 85,145,692 |
| Pennsylvania | 14 | 36,704,536 |
| Ohio | 14 | 6,880,861 |
| TOTAL | 673 | 3,375,878,684 |
Full table: summary_by_state.csv.
What the full file has
- 673 rows
- Key fields: uei, cage_code, legal_business_name, dba_name, city, state, zip, county, year_established, naics_primary
- Parquet and CSV, a README with sources, method and limits, and the build script
- Free 25-row sample (no personal contact data)
Coverage: All 673 publicly listed active 8(a) and 8(a) JV firms with an exit date Nov 6 2026 to May 6 2028, out of 3,650 active firms in the registry; 8(a) contract awards FY2008 to Nov 6 2026. SBA registry and USAspending pulled Nov 6 2026
Columns in the full file
| column | meaning |
|---|---|
uei |
SAM UEI |
cage_code |
CAGE code |
legal_business_name |
Legal business name in the SBA registry |
dba_name |
Doing-business-as name |
city |
Firm city |
state |
Firm state |
zip |
5-digit ZIP |
county |
County |
year_established |
Year established |
naics_primary |
Primary NAICS |
cert_type |
8(a) or 8(a) JV |
entrance_date |
8(a) program entrance date |
exit_date |
8(a) program exit date posted by SBA |
days_to_exit |
Days from Nov 6 2026 to exit |
exit_quarter |
Calendar quarter of exit |
ownership_type |
ANC, Tribal, NHO or Individual-owned |
also_hubzone |
Holds an active HUBZone certification |
also_wosb_or_edwosb |
Holds an active WOSB or EDWOSB certification |
also_sdvosb |
Holds an active SDVOSB certification |
n_8a_awards |
8(a) set-aside contract awards (8A, 8AN) since FY2008 |
total_8a_award_usd |
Award amount of those awards, USD |
n_8a_awards_since_fy24 |
Awards starting Oct 1 2023 or later |
8a_award_usd_since_fy24 |
Award amount of those, USD |
n_live_8a_awards |
Awards with period of performance ending on or after Nov 6 2026 |
live_8a_award_usd |
Award amount of live awards, USD |
n_awards_running_past_exit |
Awards ending after the firm's exit date |
award_usd_running_past_exit |
Award amount of those, USD |
latest_8a_award_end |
Latest end date across the firm's 8(a) awards |
top_8a_agency |
Awarding sub-agency with the most 8(a) awards to the firm |
largest_8a_award_id |
PIID of the largest 8(a) award |
largest_8a_award_usd |
Its award amount, USD |
largest_8a_award_end |
Its end date |
Get the full file
| tier | price | includes |
|---|---|---|
| Single firm or agency slice | $750 | One graduating firm's full 8(a) award list with end dates and agencies, or every graduating firm whose top agency is one you name. CSV and Excel. |
| Full cliff list | $3,500 | All 673 graduating firms with 8(a) dollars, live awards, awards running past exit, ownership type and other certs, plus the award-level file behind every number and the by-quarter rollup. |
| Yearly license with quarterly refresh | $9,000 a year | The cliff list rebuilt every quarter from the SBA registry and USAspending as new exit dates roll into the 18-month window, with new awards and early exits flagged. Internal use for capture, BD and M&A teams. |
Email mattbusel@tensorust.com with the tier and a billing contact, and we will send a proper invoice (ACH or card). The file is delivered once the invoice is paid. Details and the live sample: https://tensorust.com/datasets/8a-graduation-cliff/. All datasets: https://tensorust.com/datasets/
Method and limits
Every active 8(a) or 8(a) JV certification in the SBA Small Business Search export with an exit date from Nov 6 2026 to May 6 2028; each UEI's 8A and 8AN contract awards (types A to D, FY2008 on) pulled from the USAspending award search, exact UEI matches only, summed per firm. Contact names, emails and phones dropped.
Not remaining contract value (award amount is obligated to date), not IDIQ or GWAC ceilings, not firms SBA hides from public search or graduations not yet posted, not a forecast that any contract will be recompeted as 8(a), and not contact data.
Sources
- SBA Small Business Search certification registry, https://search.certification.sba.gov/
- USAspending award search API, https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/search/spending_by_award/
- 13 CFR 124.2, nine-year 8(a) program term
License
The sample and summary here are free to view, analyze and cite with attribution to "Tensorust LLC, https://tensorust.com/datasets/8a-graduation-cliff/". The full dataset is licensed separately per tier. No resale or redistribution of Tensorust data without a written license.
Tensorust LLC, Tuckahoe NY. mattbusel@tensorust.com | https://tensorust.com