The Indian Health Service has released a proposed rule that will strengthen requirements for IHS to set aside contracts for businesses owned by tribal companies. The new rule should result in increased opportunities for native-owned businesses by bringing Buy Indian Act purchasing preferences in line with other purchasing policies such as the small business Rule of Two, and it’s about time, as this purchasing preference has been law for 110 years with little clarity on how agencies would enforce it.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Shane McCall
SmallGovCon Week in Review: Dec. 7 – Dec. 11, 2020
Hope your holiday season is going well. I’m enjoying the start of college basketball–finally getting to watch the hometown Jayhawks, who ended last season at number 1 in the polls!
This week saw some key updates, including timing for STARS III awards and other small business GWACs, a report on mismanagement related to the AbilityOne program, and a new DOD directive to improve acquisition reform.
Continue readingCongress to Extend 8(a) Terms by One Year
There is a substantial change for 8(a) Program Participants in the NDAA that was recently approved by Congress. The House and Senate have agreed to extend the term of 8(a) Participants from 9 years to 10 years for any company that was admitted to 8(a) Program by September 9 of this year. This will be a major benefit to 8(a) companies, assuming the President signs the NDAA.
Continue readingSmallGovCon Week in Review: Nov. 23 – Dec. 4, 2020
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is staying safe and healthy! This week, we’ve got an extra helping of news for our roundup of federal contracting updates.
Important updates from the past two weeks included the final CMMC acquisition rule, an update about category management, and some reminders that the Department of Labor is enforcing wage rules for federal contractors.
Continue readingHappy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at SmallGovCon. Hope all our readers have a wonderful and revitalizing holiday.
OHA: Multiple Service-Disabled Veterans Control Company, Despite Internal Dispute
Control over a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business can be held by multiple service-disabled veterans. Having control reside in multiple individuals can make things a little more complicated, though. SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals recently examined a situation where multiple service-disabled veterans shared control of a company, but did not have a united front when responding to information requests concerning a company’s eligibility.
Continue readingSmallGovCon Week in Review: Nov. 16 – Nov. 20, 2020
I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, even if won’t look the same as it may have in past years. It’s still a time to be thankful, enjoy the (possibly virtual) company of family and friends, and eat some great food–with my personal favorite being stuffing!
As you finalize your Thanksgiving menu, read up on these federal contracting stories, including a number of fraud-related enforcement actions, increased use of OTA, and how the pandemic has changed the way federal agencies work.
Continue reading