While change over the last couple of years has been focused on COVID issues, agencies continue to assess new ways to manage their core responsibilities. As one such change, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) officially launched the Contractor …

The Small Business Administration’s HUBZone office will soon end the principal office flexibility it introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting April 1, 2022, firms will no longer be able to count employees who spend most of their time working at …

On April 4, the General Services Administration (GSA) will start using the new nonproprietary unique entity identifier (UEI) system for federal contracting purposes. This 12-digit alphanumeric identifier will replace the proprietary DUNS number in federal contracting systems. Read more here.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking updating the regulations that implement the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBA) to better reflect today’s construction industry. This proposed rulemaking, which DOL called the most …

SBA publishes its semiannual Regulatory Agenda to provide an update on the various rules it has in the pipeline and an estimate for when they will be published or become final. While SBA doesn’t have to meet these timeframes, it’s always good …

Contractors are a mainstay of the federal government. While private sector contractors played critical and highly visible support roles for the Department of Defense and the Department of State in Iraq and Afghanistan, they also play quieter but still important …

Nextgov reported that bipartisan legislation aimed at improving government contracting opportunities for small businesses awaits President Biden’s signature following its passage in the House on February 7, 2022. Called the Promoting Rigorous and Innovative Cost Efficiencies for Federal Procurement and …

As most folks know, the federal government mandates that tribal consultations are held when Alaska Native Corporations and Federally Recognized Tribes participate in a federal program in an effort to be inclusive and fulfill the government’s fiduciary duty to indigenous …

On January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court granted applicants’ emergency motion to stay enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (“OSHA”) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”). In its decision, the Court explained that the plaintiffs were likely …

A $15 minimum hourly wage for federal contractors goes into effect for all new covered contracts as well as for contract extensions, renewals and other actions starting on Jan. 30, under a final rule from the Labor Dept. in November.  …

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and its sibling, the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, are federal initiatives that provide over $2 billion in grants and contracts each  year to small and start-up companies to develop new or …

In light of the Sixth Circuit’s decision, OSHA has updated its website, indicating that OSHA’s implementation of the ETS is resumed. However, to account for the uncertainty created by the stay and provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA …

The SBA proposes to amend its regulations to implement new provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021 that provides small business contractors with new tools to establish past performance when bidding on prime contracts for …

The U.S. Small Business Administration issued a proposal to modify two of the methods it uses to determine which businesses qualify as a small business for government contracts and SBA’s loan and investment programs.  The proposed modifications would extend the averaging period for …

The Defense Department is significantly scaling back a program it rolled out last year to validate the cybersecurity of its suppliers through third-party audits and is halting its implementation until the changes are official. The program was supposed to be …

Knowledge is the best defense. Be alert to any such communications you receive – or anything similar – and think carefully before responding to anything that looks like it is coming from the System for Award Management or a government …

The Department of the Interior (DOI) seeks to improve its procurement process to better engage with underserved communities. We are interested in your feedback on the barriers that small businesses face with respect to contracting opportunities as well as your …

The sole source thresholds for the major socioeconomic preference programs would increase significantly under the House-passed version of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. The House version of the 2022 NDAA includes an amendment that would raise the sole source caps for …

The Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration recently published a final rule that amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to better explain how contracting officers should evaluate “good faith efforts” on the part of prime contractors …