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In the recent matter of Innovate Now, LLC, the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) sustained a protest on the grounds that the Agency’s solicitation required that both parties in a mentor-protégé joint venture (“MP-JV”) meet the same experience thresholds, despite Small Business Administration (“SBA”) regulations to the contrary. As background, the MP program allows a small business, or protégé, to partner with another business, large or small, as its mentor and bid as a Joint Venture on small business set-aside contracts for which the small business partner is eligible. SBA regulations additionally provide that MP-JVs will be credited with the benefit of both parties’ experience in agency evaluations.