SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 2–6, 2018

We hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July. Next week promises to be busy, with vacations ending and preparations for the 4th quarter rush. In the meantime, let’s dive into this week’s edition of the SmallGovCon Week in Review!

This week, we highlight IT draft requests from the DOT, an update to the DHS EAGLE II program, a proposed amendment to the DFARS, and more.

Have a great weekend!

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Voluntary Protest Withdrawal Following Outcome Prediction ADR Precludes Later Refiling, Says GAO

GAO’s outcome prediction alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) can be a tempting option for all parties to a protest, as it provides a preview of sorts for GAO’s written decision. A recent GAO decision, however, underscores that despite its relative informality, outcome prediction ADR can have significant repercussions on future protest developments.

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8(a) JV Agreement Denied: Participant Brought Only Its 8(a) Status to Relationship

When companies seek to join forces under an 8(a) joint venture agreement, they often focus on meeting the SBA’s specific joint venture requirements. In doing so, however, they might overlook the threshold goal of an 8(a) joint venture: to allow an 8(a) to develop the necessary capacity to perform a contract.

As a recent Court of Federal Claims decision shows, overlooking this requirement can cause an 8(a) joint venture agreement to be rejected by SBA—and lead to the joint venture being found ineligible for an award.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 11 – 15, 2018

In honor of Father’s Day, how about a dad joke?

What kind of train eats too much?

A chew-chew train!

. . .

Now that you’ve stopped laughing, let’s dig into the SmallGovCon Week in Review. This week’s edition includes articles about the draft 2019 NDAA, an update on the SAM.gov hack, a proposed FAR amendment, and more. Happy Father’s Day, and have a great weekend!

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Bid Protest Filed After “Non-Required” Debriefing Was Untimely, Says GAO

GAO’s bid protest regulations provide strict timelines for filing a protest.

Typically, a protest challenging an award must be filed within 10 days after the basis of the protest is known or should have been known. There is an exception to this rule for protests filed after a debriefing, but only when a debriefing was required by the FAR. As one contractor recently discovered, where a debriefing is not required, GAO’s bid protest regulations are not nearly as forgiving.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 4 – 8, 2018

TGIF! Let’s get the weekend started off with a look at the latest and greatest in government contracting.

In this week’s edition of the SmallGovCon Week in Review, we’ll take a look at DoD’s final rule amending DFARS to increase certain micro-purchase thresholds, more questions about the SBA’s small business participation report cards, a former background investigator’s guilty plea, and much more.

Have a great weekend!

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