Good news for small business contractors.  The 809 Panel suggested replacing small business set-asides with a five percent small business price preference. Thanks to work of WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy) and others, Congress and DOD have indicated they will reject the Panel’s recommendation …

It is called FBO.gov, FedBizOpps, or the Federal Business Opportunities website. Whatever you call it, the General Services Administration announced it will start the process of transitioning the federal opportunities website to http://beta.SAM.gov in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 and to …

On a limited budget, government contractors need to be compliant with a litany of statutes, regulations and industry standards in order to remain competitive. This has become particularly true in the cybersecurity context. With no overarching federal law for cybersecurity …

The General Services Administration’s Integrated Award Environment will transition all functions of the Federal Business Opportunities website to the System for Award Management’s beta website as it plans to retire the former by fiscal year 2020. A GSA Interact blog …

On July 15, 2019, President Trump issued an Executive Order on Maximizing Use of American-Made Goods, Products, and Materials. If implemented, the change promises to have dramatic implications for government contractors and their supply chains.  Here are four takeaways for government …

One of the complaints regarding SBA’s Women Owned Small Business / Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned Small Business Contracting Program was the de facto requirement for a paid 3rd-party verification. No other socioeconomic program has such a requirement, and it appears …

The House Appropriations Committee announced that an upcoming government spending package will include back pay for an estimated 580,000 federal contractors.

The Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) 673rd Contracting Squadron is looking to expand their knowledge of local businesses for areas of commodity purchases, services and construction for end of fiscal year contracting activities.

SBA has been having ongoing problems with their GLS and DSBS sites

An agency may modify a contract without running afoul of the Competition in Contracting Act, so long as the the modification is deemed “in scope.” An “out of scope” modification, on the other hand, is improper–and may be protested at GAO.

A revised methodology for the Small Business Administration’s size standards went into effect on April 11.

Many contractors are familiar with the well-established processes of federal bid protests.  Less known is the dizzying variety of procedures applicable to state and local bid protests.  Each jurisdiction has its own rules — in terms of timing, protestable issues, …

If you are thinking of forming a mentor-protégé joint venture to pursue a particular set-aside contract, it is critical that your timing has enough built-in cushion to ensure that all of the necessary approvals and entity-formation steps are accomplished before you submit …

It is popular and generally wise advice that if you seek to be a government prime contractor, start as a government subcontractor. It can be an excellent training ground and acclimation environment to the many differences and nuances between government …

The General Services Administration awarded a $41.8 million contract to Ernst and Young LLP to provide entity validation services of federal contractors for up to five years.  The move is part of the government’s transition away from the “DUNS” identifier, …

President Trump on Thursday added details to his earlier “Buy American” push with a new executive order instructing all agencies to “maximize the use of iron and aluminum as well as steel, cement, and other manufactured products produced in the …

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to Alaska businesses and residents as a result of President Trump’s major disaster declaration, U.S. Small Business Administration’s Administrator Linda McMahon announced. The declaration covers the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Matanuska‑Susitna Borough …

The current government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history, and many federal contractors are incurring costs as a result of shutdown-related work stoppages and delays. Luckily, many federal contracts contain clauses that provide a potential avenue for recovery …

Deadlines are deadlines, even if no one is there to check. Federal contractors large and small should be prepared for a long government shutdown. But what about the contracting opportunities currently in play? Unless an agency contracting office has given specific …

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently issued final guidance for requiring activities to assess contractors’ System Security Plans (SSPs) and their implementation of the security controls in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171.  A draft …