Spring seems to have arrived early here in Lawrence, as we have been hovering around the 70-degree mark for over a week now. For me, spring is grilling season, and I’m ready to get a couple racks of ribs on my Big Green Egg this weekend. But who am I kidding–every season is grilling season for me.
While I daydream of smoked baby backs, I haven’t forgotten that if it’s Friday, it’s time for SmallGovCon Week In Review. This week, our government contracting news includes a False Claims Act violation, a major milestone for women-owned business, a constitutional challenge to the 8(a) Program, and much more.
- A former construction subcontractor will pay more than $400,000 to settle False Claims Act allegations. [Bangor Daily News]
- The 8(a) Program is under fire. Yesterday, the DC Circuit was to hear an appeal involving a constitutional challenge to the 8(a) Program’s race-conscious provisions. [Department of Justice]
- The “Mandatory Sick Leave” policy is coming. The Department of Labor has proposed a rule to implement the President’s Executive Order, which would apply to new or renewed contracts beginning in 2017. [Bloomberg BNA]
- Now that the government has finally reached its modest 5% WOSB goal, the SBA is pushing to keep the momentum going. [Federal News Radio]
- Bid protests get a bad rap, but many government officials see protests as a check and balance system that keeps the process honest. [Federal News Radio]
- DISA’s decision to award spots on its new ENCORE III contract on a “lowest price, technically acceptable” is raising some eyebrows. [NextGov]
- The FAR Council has issued a final rule requiring companies to disclose corporate connections (such as predecessors and successors), and for those relationships to be considered in the award of contracts. [Federal Register]
- OMB has released a policy memo on purchasing open source software. [Federal News Radio]
- The GAO is asking Congress for a large increase in its budget, stating that the government saves $134 for every dollar invested in GAO. [Federal News Radio]