Program Evaluation & Evidence Registry (PEER) report The Community Navigator Pilot Program (CNPP) Evaluation assessed implementation fidelity, short-term outputs and outcomes, implementation alignment, and identified best practices. The evaluation found that CNPP was implemented using the intended Hub and Spoke model, and enrolled a higher proportion of clients belonging to underserved groups compared to SBA resource partner programs. Clients reported […]

Program Evaluation & Evidence Registry (PEER) report The SBA’s Office of Capital Access helps make capital available to small businesses through banks and other lending partners, and expanding access to the SBA’s capital programs through lending institutions specializing in local communities may reduce racial and gender disparities that persist in the use of and access to credit. This evaluation examined […]

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) contracted with Optimal Solutions Group, LLC, to conduct an economic impact study. The study focused on the economic effects of the $145.8 billion obligated through the Small Business Set-Aside, HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business, and the 8(a) Business Development programs during Fiscal Year 2021. The Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI), an […]

The Historically Under-Utilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program facilitates federalcontracting opportunities for small businesses located in economically distressedcommunities, with the goal of alleviating unemployment, stimulating investment, andincreasing overall community well-being. To better achieve these goals, the HUBZoneProgram launched the Early Engagement Initiative (EEI) in October of 2017. The EEI is designed to improve the quality of submitted HUBZone applications, increase thelikelihood […]

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) contracted with Optimal Solutions Group, LLC to evaluate the implementation of the Boots to Business (B2B) Introduction to Entrepreneurship course in the virtual delivery format during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation period, FY 2019 through FY 2021 (10/1/2018 to 9/30/2021), allowed for the comparison between pre-COVID and COVID periods for the Quality Assessment Post […]

This study conducted the economic impact assessment using the Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS II) model produced by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. RIMS II is one of the most widely used I/O models in the nation and is regularly used to assess the impacts of federal spending programs. Read the HUBZone Economic Impact Report.

Optimal conducted a rigorous quasi-experimental evaluation using sensitive administrative data from multiple systems (System for Award Management [SAM] and the Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation [FPDS-NG]) to assess the short- and long-term impacts of the 8(a)-certification program. Researchers also conducted interviews with stakeholders (agency executives, industry/business organizations). Optimal also facilitated an after-action review with agency executives and program […]

The SBA contracted with Optimal to evaluate the effectiveness of the Small Business Procurement Scorecard methodology change and the overall effectiveness of the scorecard in increasing small business opportunities and improving federal agencies’ ability to meet their small business contracting goals. Major findings include the change in the Small Business Procurement Scorecard methodology did not result in many changes to […]

The Small Business Administration’s Office of Performance Management contracted Optimal Solutions Group to assess the effectiveness of online training on topics such as marketing, contract management, and federal contracting rules and regulations for participants in the 8(a) Business Development Program. Read the final report.

Using data from the USAIDEducationData.org website, Optimal researchers visualized USAID Education Strategy results for Beneficiaries. Optimal’s Revelo tool receives, ingests, standardizes and normalizes data. It then undergoes a multi-review process and is transformed using Open Data Act guidance for use in the public portal. This data provides insights on the participating country’s beneficiary reach and costs.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Optimal a contract to assess the implementation and effectiveness of mobile application technology to provide recovery support services to patients undergoing treatment for opioid dependence in an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP).