By Jeff Cuskey, Monterey Bay Procurement Technical Assistance Center Read your solicitation carefully and don’t assume that your SAM registration is enough Many Small Businesses complete their required Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Representations …

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is looking to grow its vendor lists by using more small businesses.  Visit the agency’s website to see a list of items sought by the agency, sorted by the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code, Federal Supply Class, and National Item Identification Number …

The State of Alaska is implementing a new financial management and payment system that will have an impact on all vendors and contractors doing business with the state.  On July 1, 2015 the State of Alaska will implement IRIS – …

In honor and celebration of Veterans Day, join SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet as she engages women veteran entrepreneurs during a live Google Hangout-On-Air on November 11 at 1pm ET. The Hangout can be viewed on SBA’s Google+ page and YouTube channel. You can RSVP …

Supporting veteran entrepreneurs isn’t just the right thing to do for our vets – it’s the right thing to do for our nation.   The military trains soldiers with the skills, discipline and leadership necessary to kick start and operate a …

Defense Department contract spending fell sharply by 16% as a result of sequestration in 2013, according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies obtained by Federal News Radio.  While sequestration reduced the DOD budget by $56 …

Government contractors who have attempted to recently register or re-register in the SAM database have seen a new question asking about an “immediate owner” and a “higher-level owner.”  These new SAM questions have caused some confusion about what information, if …

In the final week and last day of fiscal 2014, the federal government’s “Use-It-or-Lose-It” budget rules kick in especially hard. Agencies hurry to obligate their allocated funds before the funding expires on Sept. 30. The final quarter of the fiscal year …

For the first time in eight years, the U.S. government has attained its goal for federal contracting with small businesses, the Small Business Administration announced.  Federal agencies awarded 23.39% of eligible contract dollars to small businesses in fiscal 2013, surpassing …

SBA had a number of issues and situations recently having to do with improper use of Wholesale NAICs (Sector 42) codes in the subcontracting area.  As you know, Wholesale (Sector 42) and Retail (Sectors 44-45) NAICs are not to be …

Deltek is predicting a huge fourth-quarter contract spending rush this year, as a result of delays in appropriations and a slow pace of contracting early in the fiscal year.  The research firm anticipates the government will spend $168.2 billion on …

The Office of Advocacy, an independent office within the Small Business Administration, released a report entitled, Evaluation of the Small Business Procurement Goals Established in Section 15(g) of the Small Business Act.  The study, authored by Henry B.R. Beale, is …

Recent figures have estimated that the federal government’s spending on contracts was down 11 percent last year, however for some agencies spending is increasing. A number of factors contributed to the decrease: the sequester, budget cuts, and the draw down …

The House Small Business Committee approved six bills aimed at improving small business federal contracting on March 5. The most talked-about legislation is probably HR 4093, sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves, R-MO, the committee’s chairman, which would raise the government’s small …

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Alaska together with the support of Northrim Bank provides the 2014 Alaska Construction Spending Forecast.  The report highlights both private and publicly funded projects in construction throughout Alaska.  Construction spending is expected to be …

House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-MO, is trying again to raise the government’s small business contracting goal to 25%, from 23%.  The House approved a similar provision two years ago in the national defense authorization legislation of fiscal …

Proposed changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulations for 2014 include a rule that would encourage agencies to set aside contracts for small businesses. The interim rule would codify part of the 2010 Small Business Jobs Act that addressed set-asides of task- …

In 2000, the Equity for Contracting for Women Act reiterated an existing goal of giving five percent of federal contracts and award dollars to women-owned small businesses; this act served as the backbone for the WOSB FCP. The WOSB FCP …

Businesses interested in Federal contracting,or organizations receiving Federal funds, must register in the Government’s database known as System for Award Management (SAM). Registration at the official SAM site — http://www.sam.gov– is free. SAM registration is something that any vendor can …