Adverse Inference, the Wrong Way to Lose a Size Protest

An adverse inference is a penalty that the Small Business Administration (SBA) can enforce as part of a size protest. During a size protest determination, SBA will ask the protested company lots of questions. Sometimes, a protester will not answer those questions, either on purpose or due to oversight. Depending on the circumstances, SBA can apply an adverse inference if a protested company fails to respond to questions. If SBA applies an adverse inference, that means that the SBA Area Office will determine that the information that was not provided would prove that the company is not a small business. A recent decision reminds us about this penalty. If you are in a similar situation, reach out to a firm like ours to help think of a way to respond to SBA.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: February 5-9, 2024

Happy Friday Readers. We hope you all have had a great week. We are enjoying some milder winter weather here in Kansas finally. We still have a bit to go before spring, but it feels like it is right around the corner. We will be following our KC chiefs as they look to defend their Super Bowl title!

Enjoy the weekend and we also hope you will enjoy reading the articles below, regarding federal government contracting this week. Some highlights include more on the push to increase small business participation, and new legislation that will have an impact on contractors.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: Jan. 28-Feb. 2, 2024

Happy February! Our Kansas City Chiefs have once again managed to make it back into the Super Bowl and we couldn’t be happier about it! Whether you’re a Chiefs fan, a 49ers fan or a Swiftie, it’s sure to be a good one! Start gathering those favorite snack recipes and get out the lucky sports gear, folks!

This week in federal government contracting news had some important updates, including a new GSA schedule catalog platform, a report on savings in software purchases, and a revamped SBA training program for small businesses.

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OMB Issues Command to Increase Small Business Participation on MACs

The White House has issued a memorandum that calls for specific procedures for Increasing Small Business Participation on Multiple-Award Contracts. To that end, OMB has recommended steps such as increasing small business order set-asides and maximizing small business set-asides across multiple types of contracts. Perhaps most importantly, OMB has directed federal agencies to apply the small business Rule of Two for all orders, which should has the potential of leading to an increase in small business set-asides. Below, we dive into these new recommendations.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: January 22-26, 2024

Happy Friday! We hope you had a productive week. We are slowly exiting the deep freeze that we have been enduring the past few weeks, here in the midwest. We’ve had snow, ice, rain and sub degree temperatures! Not fun! We are looking forward to seeing the sun again and warmer days. Hope you are doing well and looking forward to a nice weekend.

This week in federal government contracting news saw some interesting stories, including a push to streamline contracting and GSA not following procurement rules.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: January 15-19, 2024

Happy Friday! Brrr, another very cold day here in the Midwest. We are looking for relief next week as the forecast is set for warmer temperatures after this deep freeze. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are ready! We hope that you are staying warm in your neck of the woods.

This week in federal government contracting saw some important stories, including the one-year anniversary of the SBA takeover of the SDVOSB program and the new defense industrial strategy.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: January 8-12, 2024

Happy Friday! Boy, were we hit with a major snowstorm this week with very cold temperatures sweeping in from the north! We dug out just in time for a cold blast to arrive today and our Kansas City Chiefs have a playoff game at home this weekend, with the high expected to be a balmy 6 degrees! Brrr. I’ll be watching from my climate-controlled living room. Go Chiefs!

This week in federal government contracting news saw some White House initiatives for better contracting, as well as updates on cybersecurity and AI in the federal space.

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