The FAR now contains a new provision: 52.201-1, Acquisition 360: Voluntary Survey. This provision will contain a link to a survey for vendors to complete where they can provide voluntary feedback to state how satisfied they are with various aspects …

The Department of Defense has allowed for the extension of the FY 2023 Service Contract Reporting (SCR) submission date in SAM. For FY 2023 data reporting, the annual SCR submission date of October 31 is extended through January 31, 2024, …

Beginning on January 1, 2024, the Executive Order 14026 minimum wage rate that generally must be paid to workers performing work on or in connection with covered contracts will increase to $17.20 per hour. This minimum wage rate will apply …

As we have previously written about in several recent 8(a) articles and updates, which can all be found on our 8(a) landing page here, SBA had previously told all 8(a) participants not pending an 8(a) award to “sit tight” and wait …

It’s official! On September 15, 2023, the Alaska PTAC has rebranded under the name of Alaska APEX Accelerator. The program shifted administration from Defense Logistics Agency to the DOD Office of Small Business Programs and with that shift came a …

On July 27, 2023, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released its Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda (Agenda) summarizing nine current and projected rulemakings. Notably, the SBA identified these rules as likely to have a significant economic impact on a large number of small businesses in …

On July 19, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee declared that the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage violated the equal protection rights of a government contractor and prohibited SBA’s use of …

Each fiscal year (FY) the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), as part of the Small Business Outreach Program, conducts ten sessions of 15-minute pre-arranged virtual meetings with small businesses. These Vendor …

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched a new business training program tailored to military spouses entitled “The Military Spouse Pathway to Business Program.” The program supports the recent White House Executive Order 14100, which strengthens economic opportunity for military and Veteran spouses, …

Subcontracting is a hot topic in the federal government contracting world. Large businesses placing bids on federal procurements are often required to have a small business subcontracting plan, while small businesses are limited to exactly how much work they can …

The DOL announced that its Wage and Hour Division will offer online seminars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers, and other stakeholders on the requirements for paying prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts. Read more here.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has launched a new initiative that seeks potential partners for its growing Civil Works R&D program. With up to $20 million available for new ERDC partnerships in fiscal year 2024, this historic effort is the …

The General Services Administration announced the launch of two online tools designed to help connect agency buyers with diverse vendors as part of the Biden Administration’s push to advance equity in government procurement. Read more here.

The Small Business Administration announced last week that it is expanding the Veterans Business Development program to bring more business support to new, or existing, veteran entrepreneurs. The expansion is made possible thanks to an additional $3.5 million previously allocated …

PTACs are now also referred to as APEX Accelerators. The Alaska PTAC is part of a nationwide network of 90+ PTAC’s all funded, in part, by the US Department of Defense. Recently, the program shifted administration from Defense Logistics Agency …

Beginning on May 26, 2023, there will be improvements to the start of the SAM.gov registration workflow.  The changes may be noticeable to returning or frequent SAM.gov registrants, but likely won’t be significant for those registering for the first time. First, …

Some Sam.gov profiles for Company JVs do not reflect 8(a) status, although it is showing up in DSBS. This is has been an ongoing issue. You may need to go into Sam.gov and refresh the Joint Venture’s profile.  This document …

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will host a Small to Small Virtual Vendor Outreach Matchmaking Event (VOME) on March 23, 2023.  This virtual event is expected to raise awareness of potential partnerships, subcontracting opportunities, and facilitate discussions that may …

Now that we’re well into the new federal fiscal year, vendors have access to many new contracting opportunities — from standard federal budget programs and cycles to existing and new procurement vehicles, such as blanket purchase agreements, governmentwide acquisition contracts, …

On January 1, 2023, the minimum wage for government contractors under Executive Order 14026 increased from $15.00 per hour to $16.20 per hour. We wrote about Executive Order 14026 and its requirements previously here. There continues to be confusion as to when …