Author Archives: Steven Koprince

SmallGovCon Week In Review: June 5-9, 2017

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I’m not sure what the weather is going to be like in your neck of the woods, but we are ready for a few 90+ degree days here in Lawrence. It’s a great weekend for sitting in the shade with a cold lemonade and some good reading material. And if you need something to read, we’ve got you covered with the latest in government contracting news.

In this week’s SmallGovCon Week in Review, a Texas contractor has made nearly $2.5 million to settle procurement fraud allegations, the SBA’s administrative judges gain authority to hear size standard appeals, the last protest of the GSA’s EIS contract has ended, and much more.

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Small Business Goaling: Army Evaluation Offers Lesson For SBA

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Last month, I wrote that the SBA shouldn’t have awarded the government an “A” for its FY 2016 small business goaling achievement.  Even though the government exceeded the 23% small business goal, it missed the WOSB and HUBZone goals (the latter by a lot).

In a different context, a recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposal evaluation offers a grading lesson for the SBA.  In that case, the Corps assigned a large prime offeror a middling “Acceptable” score for small business participation where the offeror proposed to meet the contract’s overall small business subcontracting goal, but not the SDB, WOSB, HUBZone, VOSB and SDVOSB goals.

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SmallGovCon Week In Review: May 29 – June 2, 2017

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June is here which means we are nearing the official start of summer–and it already feels like summer here in Lawrence with temperatures in the mid-80s. Before I head off to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine it’s time for our weekly look at the latest and greatest in government contracting.

In this edition of the SmallGovCon Week In Review, a food contractor has agreed to pay a whopping $95 million as part of a major procurement fraud settlement, the GSA Inspector General issues a semi-annual report offering some lessons for contractors, Guy Timberlake kicks off a new series over at the GovConChannel with an article about the five fatal flaws killing proposal efforts, and much more.

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Another Big Win For Vets: SDVOSBs Trump AbilityOne At VA, Court Rules

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The VA cannot buy products or services using the AbilityOne List without first applying the “rule of two” and determining whether qualified SDVOSBs and VOSBs are available to bid.

Today’s decision of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in PDS Consultants, Inc. v. United States, No. 16-1063C (2017) resolves–in favor of veteran-owned businesses–an important question that has been lingering since Kingdomware was decided nearly one year ago.  The Court’s decision in PDS Consultants makes clear that at VA, SDVOSBs and VOSBs trump AbilityOne.

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SmallGovCon Week In Review: May 22-26, 2017

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Memorial Day weekend is almost here, which means the unofficial start to summer! Whether you are hitting the beach or relaxing at home (my plans include BBQ ribs and chicken wings courtesy of the family Big Green Egg), I hope you have an enjoyable long weekend while remembering those that have given their lives to protect our country.

Of course, a relaxing weekend isn’t complete without some good reading material, and we’ve got you covered.  In the final May edition of the SmallGovCon Week In Review, a contracting fraud scheme results in jail time, a bipartisan new bill would help small contractors receive prompt payment for change orders, a survey shows rising confidence among government contractors, and much more.

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The VA’s SDVOSB JV Verification Assistance Brief Is Wrong

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The VA’s Verification Assistance Brief for SDVOSB and VOSB joint ventures flat-out misstates the law regarding the manner in which joint venture profits must be split.

SDVOSBs and VOSBs often rely on Verification Assistance Briefs to guide them through the CVE verification process, and CVE analysts sometimes use Verification Assistance Briefs, too.  Which begs the question: how many CVE-verified joint ventures are legally invalid?

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Government Misses HUBZone, WOSB Goals–But Gets “A” Grade Anyway

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The government missed its Fiscal Year 2016 HUBZone goal by a country mile, and didn’t hit the 5% WOSB goal, either.  But according to the SBA, the government deserves an “A” for its FY 2016 small business achievements.

That’s some rather generous scoring, wouldn’t you say?

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