Author Archives: Shane McCall

SBA Issues Proposed Rule Implementing Small Business Runway Extension Act

Posted on by

On Monday, June 24, SBA will issue its long-awaited proposed rule implementing the Small Business Runway Extension Act. We intend to explore the proposed rule and the accompanying commentary more fully over the next few days (as we have been doing over the past few months), but we wanted to provide a quick update to our readers on the main changes in the proposed rule.

The key takeaway is that, once the rule is in place, SBA size standards will be based on a 5-year average. SBA “proposes to change its regulations on the calculation of annual average receipts for all receipts-based SBA size standards and other agencies’ proposed size standards for service-industry firms from a 3-year averaging period to a 5-year averaging period.”

Continue reading →

SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 17 – 21, 2019

Posted on by

As government contracts attorneys, we find even the mundane aspects of federal contracting law (for example, CAGE codes) pretty interesting and important. But a recent FBI warning detailed in one of the stories from this weeks reminds us all that government contractors are crucial to the safety and well-being of the nation.

As reported in the story, the FBI has warned contractors “about foreign intelligence services using social media accounts to target and recruit employees with US government clearance.” The FBI warns that “US adversary intelligence officers are using popular US-based social media platforms to identify, recruit, and conduct operations against USG clearance holders, to include private sector employees or contractors supporting the USG.” This is a good reminder of the high stakes involved in working for the government.

Read on for this story and other interesting government contracting news, such as updates on a bill for back pay for contractors during the government shutdown, making cyber security an allowable cost, and a hack that exposed thousands of license plate numbers.

Continue reading →

Senate Highlights Decline in Number of Small Businesses Getting Federal Contracts

Posted on by

Recently, a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship called for increased small business participation in federal contracts during a hearing on the SBA’s contracting programs. Senator Ben Cardin based his concern on a recent report showing that the number of small businesses with federal contracts was at a 10-year low.

Continue reading →

SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 10 – 14, 2019

Posted on by

Welcome to another addition of SmallGovCon’s week in review. While you might be on vacation (and feel free to wait to read this until you get back), the world of government contracting spins on.

In this week’s edition, there are some interesting updates including paying back wages to federal government contractors who were not paid during the government shutdown, merging OPM with the General Services Administration and the latest in space contracting.

Have a great weekend!

Continue reading →

SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 3 – 7, 2019

Posted on by

Now that it’s summer, it means means hot weather, farmer’s markets, baseball, barbecues and all the other things on the summer bucket list. We hope you’re enjoying your summer!

This week, we share some interesting federal government contracting stories with you including new contracting initiatives at the Departments of Energy and Health and Human Services, a few bad behaving contractors getting sentenced for fraud and bribery and where to find several June contracting conferences.

Continue reading →

Report: Federal Spending up $100B since 2015

Posted on by

GAO recently released a snapshot of 2018 fiscal year federal spending. Although it is a very high-level review, it provides some interesting information for government contractors. Among the highlights are the fact that federal discretionary spending has increased year over year and competitive contracts are becoming less common among defense agencies. GAO also identified four key high-risk acquisition areas that it is monitoring.

It’s dry stuff, but never fear, we read it for you. Here’s a quick summary of the findings.

Continue reading →

SmallGovCon Week in Review: May 28 – 31, 2019

Posted on by

We hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend. At the same time, our thoughts go out to to those affected by recent weather events, including a tornado that touched down just outside of Lawrence. While none of us at Koprince Law were directly affected by the tornado in Lawrence, many members of our community were. We thank the forecasters, first responders, and others who worked to warn us and are helping people rebuild after this event.

In this week’s roundup of recent news in the government contracting world, you can read some interesting items, including a study of how whistleblowers can reduce government fraud, government procurement innovations, and a request by the DOD to defend against cyber attacks.

Continue reading →