Mentor Protégé Program
The State of Texas Mentor Protégé Program is designed to foster relationships between prime contractors and Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs). The objective of the Mentor Protégé Program is to provide professional guidance and support to the protégé (HUB) in order to facilitate their growth and development and increase HUB contracts and subcontracts with the State of Texas.
The mentor-protégé relationship is mutually beneficial since mentors can use their protégés to fulfill HUB subcontracting requirements when bidding on state contracts with expected values of $100,000 or more. It is advantageous to build a partnership prior to a solicitation or contract award to establish confidence in performance.
State agencies serve as sponsors for the Mentor Protégé agreements. Companies interested in establishing a state Mentor Protégé agreement should:
- Contact a state agency you have already done business with or search the HUB Report for agencies that purchase the goods and services your company provides.
- Ask how they match prospective mentors and protégés
Eligibility and Application Process
In order for a prospective protégé to be eligible for the Mentor-Protégé Program, the protégé must:
- Be a State of Texas HUB
- Have been in business for at least one year
- Agree to sign a written agreement to discuss business practices with the mentor
- Be able to identify the type of guidance needed from the mentor for business development
- Be in "good standing" with the State of Texas
(https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/coas-instructions.php)