Government Contracts MonitorContracting OpportunitiesBuy American Changes Yet AgainMarch 8, 2022 March 7, 2022, marked the publication of yet another final rule implementing changes to “Buy American” requirements for federal contractors. Final BAA Rule. There are very few surprises in this rule, largely because it closely tracks the proposed rule published last July. That said, the final rule significantly changes FAR Part 25 – the regulations implementing the Buy American Act (BAA). First,… BYE BYE DUNS - HELLO SAMMIMay 1, 2019 Last month the General Services Administration (GSA) awarded a $41 million, five-year contract to Ernst and Young LLP (EY) to replace Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) as the contractor supplying entity validation services – the well-known, long-standing Data Universal Number System (DUNS). All federal agencies and federal contractors (and grant recipients) – everyone doing any kind of business with the… SBA Area Offices Are Precluded from Reviewing a Duly-Approved 8(a) Mentor/Protégé Joint Venture Agreement, and May, But Are Not Required to, Refer Any Concerns to SBA’s Office of Business DevelopmentApril 24, 2019 The Small Business Administration (SBA)’s Office of Hearings & Appeals (OHA) recently reaffirmed that SBA Area Offices are precluded from reviewing the substance of an 8(a) Mentor-Protégé’s Joint Venture Agreement (JVA), once such agreement has been approved by the servicing SBA District Office. OHA further held that, while an Area Office has the discretion to refer any concerns the Area Office… Exemption 4: Protection of Confidential Information - The Ground May be ShiftingApril 10, 2019 The Supreme Court recently granted a petition for writ of certiorari over (that is, agreed to review) an Eight Circuit decision involving Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”). What is Exemption 4? It is the exemption that protects from public disclosure “trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.” Why is this… Will DoD Change How It Procures "Readily Available" Commercial Items?March 21, 2019 The Section 809 Panel has recommended some drastic changes that would impact government contractors doing business with the Department of Defense (DoD). What is the Section 809 Panel? It is a panel created in Section 809 of the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with goals outlined in the NDAA such as: (i) reviewing DoD’s acquisition regulations with a view toward improving the… Following SBA's Joint Venture Agreement Template Not a Free Pass, and Don't Ignore the Footnote CommentsFebruary 28, 2019 The Small Business Administration (SBA)’s Office of Hearings & Appeals (OHA) recently reiterated that SBA Joint Venture Agreements (JVAs), including those entered into under SBA’s new All-Small Mentor-Protégé Program (ASMPP), must include adequate specific detail as to the respective responsibilities of the parties with regard to, inter alia, performance of the proposed contract, and how the… New Statute Extends Small Business Size Standard Reference Period to Five (from Three) Years, Enabling More Companies to Qualify as SmallJanuary 17, 2019 In December 2018 – just before Christmas – the Senate approved, and the President signed into law, the so-called “Small Business Runway Extension Act of 2018,” Pub. L. No. 115-324 (the “Act” or “statute”). This statute extends the three-year reference period for calculating a revenue-based small business’s size status to five years. This Act was intended – as implied by its name – to extend the… New Year's Resolutions, 2019 - Reassess Your Size Status, Update Your SAM and DSBS Listings, Check Your Past Performance Ratings, and Update Your Employment Policies, Handbooks and PostingsJanuary 2, 2019 Happy New Year! The start of a new year is the time for New Year’s Resolutions. Here are several we strongly urge you to follow-through on early in 2019.
1. Reassess Your (and Any Subcontractors’) Small Business Size Status: Most companies operate on a calendar year for tax reporting purposes. For such companies the start of a new tax year, and the end of the prior year, means a change and… New Year's Resolutions, 2018January 3, 2018 Reassess Your Size Status, Update Your DSBS and SAM Listings, Check Your Past Performance Ratings, and Update Your Employment Policies, Handbooks and Postings Happy New Year! The start of a new year is the time for New Year’s Resolutions. Here are several we strongly urge you to follow-through on early in 2018. 1. Reassess Your (and Any Subcontractors’) Small Business Size Status: Most companies… Feds Meet FY16 Small Business Prime Contracting Goals (Except WOSB and HUBZone), But Individual Agency & Overall Subcontracting Shortfalls Persist, Providing Marketing OpportunitiesJune 6, 2017 The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced the federal government’s Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) small business goaling results and Small Business Procurement Scorecard. According to SBA, the federal government achieved its 23% small business contracting goal for the fourth straight year, awarding 24.34% of federal prime contracts, totaling $99.96 billion, to small business. While… GAO Recommends DOD Act to Ensure that Its Pilot Mentor/Protégé Program Enhances the Capabilities of Protégé FirmsApril 19, 2017 The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified a number of problems in DOD’s Pilot Mentor-Protégé Program, including a lack of standard operating procedures that DOD components are required to follow to approve Mentor-Protégé Agreements (MPAs), resulting in many MPAs not including required elements necessary to ensure the Protégé's eligibility and Program compliance. GAO further… Short Take: Individual Pleads Guilty to Defrauding More than 1,000 Companies, Promising Contracting Preferences with FEMAApril 18, 2017 The Justice Department recently announced that an individual, Michael Pirolo, residing in Palm Harbor, Florida, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with a telemarketing scheme promising, for a $500 one-time fee. to “register” companies with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA} to enable them to receive FEMA contracting preferences. Approximately 1,200 victim-companies were… |
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