A happy Veterans Day to all veterans and their families as we remember what you’ve done for our country. And there’s good reason for veteran business owners in particular to be happy. The Department of Veteran Affairs has recently made it easier to stay verified as a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-veteran owned small business.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Shane McCall
SmallGovCon Week In Review: November 4 – 8, 2019
It’s a busy travel period in our office. Just this week, I went to Warrensburg, Missouri for the Procurement Conference 2019 featuring Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler. It’s been great to chat with folks at these conferences.
Despite all the travel, we’ve been keeping up with federal contracting news. This week, we wanted to share a number of stories, including the Justice Department’s anti-price collusion “strike force”, a crackdown on supply chain cybersecurity, and the number of suspended and debarred contractors fell for the fourth year in a row.
Continue readingThanks to the Missouri Procurement Conference 2019!
I recently returned from the Procurement Conference 2019 featuring Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler in Warrensburg, Mo. It was a great experience! The remarks of the Congresswoman, as well as those of keynote speaker the Hon. Alan Shaffer, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Acquisition & Sustainment.
One theme they both touched on was that the Department of Defense is looking for great ideas from contractors and wants to pay well for those innovative ideas. That’s good news for federal contractors!
Thanks to all who organized the event, especially Bill Stuby with Missouri PTAC. I was able to provide an update on current issues in government contracting to a lively audience. And thanks to all who stopped by our booth to chat!
Alert! SBA Proposes to Consolidate the All-Small and 8(a) Mentor/Protégé Programs
As many small business government contractors know, the SBA offers two mentor/protege programs: one reserved for 8(a) participants; the other, a universal program open to all small businesses—not just 8(a) companies.
Since the All-Small Mentor/Protege Program was rolled out in 2016, many have wondered why the SBA still runs two programs, instead of a single, consolidated program.
Fans of government efficiency, your cries are soon to be answered. Earlier today, the SBA issued a comprehensive proposed rule that, among other things, would consolidate the 8(a) Mentor/Protégé Program into the All-Small Mentor/Protégé Program.
Continue readingSmallGovCon Week In Review: October 28 – November 1, 2019
Hope everyone had a great Halloween yesterday! Around these parts, the thermometer got down to freezing last night. But I took the kids out for a quick trick-or-treat outing down the street. And we also had some fun painting pumpkins in the office.
Next week I’ll be in Warrensburg, MO on Wednesday for Congresswoman Hartzler’s Procurement Conference. We hope to see many of our SmallGovCon readers out there!
Amidst all the spooky fun, the government contracting news kept rolling in. This week, we highlight updates about supply chain cybersecurity, DOD modernizing software development, and the Pentagon announcing a big push to incorporate 5G technology.
Continue readingSmallGovCon Week In Review: October 21 – 25, 2019
Last night marked the start of the college basketball season here in Lawrence, and I attended the exhibition game for our Jayhawks in historic Allen Fieldhouse. For you college basketball fans, the road to March Madness begins now.
For you government contracting fans, there’s also news in that world. This week, we bring you updates about security guidance for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud, a reminder about FedBizOpps going away, and a House of Representatives panel looking into Native 8(a) contracting issues.
Continue readingDOD will Require Cybersecurity Certification Starting Fall 2020
It’s not too soon to start thinking about those New Year’s resolutions. Along with other personal goals, federal contractors might want to add a cybersecurity resolution to their list. The Department of Defense has drafted a cybersecurity certification that will be finalized in January 2020. Starting next fall, contractors will have to be certified in order to submit proposals on defense solicitations.
Read on for some of the highlights.
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