Webinar Event: Small Business Certifications hosted by the Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship, December 14, 2023, 4:00pm EST

Please join Greg Weber and I for this informative webinar on small business certifications. Participants will get an overview about:

  • Woman Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business
  • 8(a)  Business Development Program
  • HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone)
  • Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business

We will discuss how to get certified, how long it may take, regulations, changes, updates, and tips and tricks on how to be prepared. We hope you will join us. Register here.

Free Webinar Event: Mastering Size Calculations for SBA Size Determinations hosted by LeftBrain, December 12, 2023, 1:00pm EST

If your small business status hangs in the balance, you can’t afford mistakes in your next SBA size determination. Join us for an in-depth look at key accounting strategies and lessons from recent SBA size appeal decisions involving affiliation issues, joint ventures, and receipts calculation. Learn how to properly account for inter-affiliate transactions, raise strong arguments, and avoid missteps that could lead to an adverse size determination. Register now to demystify SBA rules and gain the knowledge needed to respond to size protests and succeed in appeals.

If you are interested, please register here.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: Nov. 27-Dec. 1

Happy December! If you haven’t started your holiday shopping, don’t panic, you still have time! It’s hard to believe that 2023 is almost over. I don’t know about you, but here at SmallGovCon, the year seemed to fly by.

We hope you have a nice weekend and can get out to enjoy all the holiday season has to offer.

And now, in federal government contracting news, check out some interesting articles about how the federal government is approaching the use of AI and protecting critical supply chains.

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OHA: Respond to SBA Size Determination Questions, or Risk an Adverse Inference

SBA’s size protest rules contain a stick to force companies to respond to SBA as part of size determination. That stick is called the adverse inference rule. The adverse inference rule says that, if SBA requests specific information and a protested company refuses to provide it, SBA may assume that the missing information would show that the company is not a small business. In a recent decision, SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) upheld the use of the adverse inference.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: November 13-17, 2023

Happy Friday! Next week is Thanksgiving and we want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support of SmallGovCon. We always strive to provide helpful content and we appreciate all the wonderful feedback that we have received from our readers. We hope you have a great Thanksgiving and are able to spend some time with friends and family.

This week in federal government contracting news include a plan to fund the government (hear that one before?), AI and its effect on government, and new GSA acquisitions.

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Govology Webinar Event: 2023 Government Contracting Year in Review, December 7, 2023, 1:00pm EST

In this webinar, Nicole Pottroff and I will cover some of the most important legal developments for federal contractors in 2023. Among other things, we will discuss

  • Updates to the 8(a) rules and application procedures
  • New small business rules
  • Joint venture changes
  • Updated SDVOSB certification requirements
  • And more. 

Hope you can join us. Register here.

SBA OIG Again Challenges SBA’s Revised Definition of a HUBZone Employee

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General isn’t mincing words–OIG thinks that SBA has strayed from Congressional intent with its expansive definition of who qualifies as a HUBZone employee for purposes of satisfying the HUBZone Program’s eligibility requirements. In a recent report, SBA OIG points out that SBA’s broad definition could result in a company becoming HUBZone-eligible even if none of the company’s employees currently live in HUBZones.

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