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 …

Since Congress did not pass a continuing resolution to fund the federal government past the end of the current fiscal year, agencies have been required to shutter non-essential operations – those who do not support the protection of life and …

A participant in the SBA’s 8(a) program must obtain the SBA’s prior approval before switching its business structure–or else. Case in point: recently, an 8(a) participant was terminated from the 8(a) program because it switched its corporate structure from a …

A proposed rule published recently would update the Federal Acquisition Regulation to help agencies consider past performance of contractors in awarding new contracts. The rule would also while shorten the period affected firms are allowed to comment. As required by …

The Department of Interior issued a new regulation for those entities qualifying under the Buy Indian Act. Effective July 8, 2013, the new rule reduces the percentage of Indian ownership from 100 percent to a minimum of 51 percent. The …

In accordance with provisions of the 2010 Small Business Jobs Act, the SBA has issued a final rule regarding prime contractor reporting and contracting officer oversight with respect to subcontracting plans. The rule, which goes into effect on August 15th, requires …

The Department of Homeland Security FEMA has a requirement for building materials and equipment for the affected flood areas of Alaska. The Government intends to award a firm fixed-price Blanket Purchase Agreement (PBA) as a result of this solicitation.  Quotes …

The Defense Department has completed significantly more contractor performance assessments in recent years, in terms of both number and percentage, a report from the Government Accountability Office says. The department completed more than 33,000 performance assessments in fiscal 2012, compared …

The Fairbanks North Star Borough has announced its 2013, 2014, and 2015 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal of 12% for participation on contracts assisted by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).  Written comments, questions, or inquiries regarding the proposed goal will be …

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is announcing the SBA Veteran Pledge Initiative, a commitment by its top national, regional and community lenders to collectively increase their lending activity to veterans by five percent per year for the next five …

The HUBZone Maps landing page has recently been updated with PDF and Excel documents displaying the most up to date qualifications for counties. Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released 2012 annual unemployment data, which SBA uses to determine …

The Municipality of Anchorage Office of Equal Opportunity (MOA OEO)OEO) proposed a 4.5% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Overall Goal for Fiscal Years (FY) 2011-2013. As part of the goal setting process, MOA is inviting input from women and minority business …

Set-aside contracts for women-owned small businesses no longer have a maximum value, under an interim final rule published May 7 by the Small Business Administration. The fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L.112-239 [.pdf]), signed into law Jan. 2, removed …

Business isn’t always about what you know. It’s also about who you know. When it comes to marketing your company to Federal agencies, having a current point of contact at the agency you want to do business with can make …