As of September 2019, the VA has updated its Verification Assistance Brief on SDVOSB joint ventures. The old assistance brief was last revised in 2017 and contained some incorrect information. To its credit, this update removes the wrong info and it contains some additional guidance that could be helpful for SDVOSB joint venture members.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Shane McCall
“We Couldn’t View the Solicitation,” Argues Protester
The first step in competing for a federal contract is knowing that an opportunity exists in the first place. In a recent protest, a contractor argued it was not able to find an opportunity despite routinely searching the appropriate federal procurement opportunity system, e-Buy. Thus, according to the protesting company, the procurement was not properly publicized and the award was improper.
GAO did not agree.
Continue readingSBA Adds Affiliation Questions to Revised All Small Mentor-Protege Template
With little fanfare, the SBA has updated the template for agreements under the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program (ASMPP). The new template adds a series of check box-style questions, mainly about potential affiliation between the mentor and protege.
Be sure to check out the new template if you are working on a mentor-protégé agreement.
Continue readingSmallGovCon Week In Review: September 30 – October 4, 2019
Hi there loyal readers! We’ve been getting some great cool fall weather here in Lawrence. Seems like summer is officially over. Hope you’re enjoying fall as well.
We also hope you enjoy’s this week’s round-up of government contracting news, including stories about GSA’s new commercial e-Marketplace, issues impacting women veteran-owned businesses, and an update to LPTA procurements for non-DOD agencies (we recently blogged about the related LPTA update for DOD agencies).
Continue readingSmallGovCon Week In Review: September 23 – September 27, 2019
Happy Fall Ya’ll! We’ve finally been getting a welcome taste of fall weather, after what seemed like a very long summer season. Hope you are enjoying the season change as much as we are.
But for now, it’s time for another dose of government contracting news. This week, stories about increased use of AI in government contracting, the role of small business in the next moon mission, and a guilty plea for rigging bids at government auctions.
Continue readingGAO Upholds Agency’s Cancellation of LPTA Procurement with only One Acceptable Offer
Pop quiz: Your company is the only technically acceptable offeror in an lowest-priced, technically acceptable procurement. You win, right? Not when the agency cancels the solicitation, hoping that a cheaper offeror who was not technically acceptable will submit a bid if given another chance. GAO recently considered this very scenario.
Continue readingSmallGovCon Week In Review: September 16 – September 20, 2019
It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another weekend of college football. Here in Lawrence, there is some renewed interest in the Jayhawks after last week’s surprise Friday night upset over Boston College. Let’s hope the Hawks can keep the intensity up tomorrow.
It also means it’s time for another roundup of some of the more interesting updates from the federal government contracting world. This week, we look at stories including that Federal, state, and local authorities are intensifying scrutiny of minority contracting programs; the House Small Business Committee Chairwoman pushes for improvements to SBA’s 8(a) Program; and whether AI can help decide if work is inherently governmental.
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