Webinar: CMS Reverse Industry Day, August 3, 2023, 10:00am EDT

On behalf of CMS (Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services), the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) and the Professional Services Council (PSC) will host a 90-minute virtual industry-led discussion, with our very own Nicole Pottroff as a presenter. The webinar will provide an in-depth look and interactive conversation regarding CMS procurement protests–the common factors and considerations contractors take into account when deciding whether to protest CMS procurement decisions, when to protest them, where to protest them, etc.–and what actions CMS program and contract officials could take during the procurement process to reduce the likelihood of a preventable protest and help ensure fair and transparent competitions and acquisitions. Topics may include:
• Current protest trends at CMS and comparisons to HHS and other civilian agencies;
• Recompetes v. new requirements – understanding the incumbent advantage and how to ensure fairness for all;
• Joint Venture (JV) and Mentor-Protégé JV arrangements and small business set aside decisions;
• Price realism / avoiding the “race to the bottom”;
• Best value trade off decisions v. Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) evaluations;
• Different types of evaluation methodologies (e.g., oral presentations, coding challenges, self-score cards, etc.);
• What makes a quality debrief; and
• Industry answers to Government questions regarding protests.

Please register here for this informative event.

Govology Webinar: An Introduction to Government Small Business Certifications (2023 Update) July 25, 2023, 1:00pm EDT

Steven Koprince, Govology Legal Analyst and retired founder of Koprince McCall Pottroff (and all around cool dude) will be presenting this webinar providing a big-picture overview of small business certifications in the government marketplace. In this webinar, you will learn about various federal small business certification programs, including Small Business Self Certification, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) & 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB). Steve will also touch on state and local certification programs and provide information on additional training and resources you can use to develop a deeper understanding and get help with any federal, state, and small business certification program. If interested in this informative webinar, please register here.

SmallGovCon Featured on Legally Contented Podcast

If you are in to podcasts, law firm blogs, or legal marketing, check out my appearance on the Legally Contented podcast with Wayne Pollock. Here is the YouTube version, and below are links to the audio podcast on your format of choice. In this podcast, we discuss how blogging can make attorneys better attorneys balancing breaking news-type blog posts with substantive blog posts–and lots more. It was a great experience discussing SmallGovCon with Wayne. Hope you enjoy it.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legally-contented/id1612322032
https://open.spotify.com/show/3WfCyY0cbL1Mc4SfBWbr30
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b370b4d4-59df-47a8-8bff-4f786ed06222/legally-contented

Govology Webinar: Compliant and Effective Teaming Agreements, Joint Ventures & Subcontracts – 3-Part Series (2023 Update) July 11-13, 2023, 1:00pm EDT

For large and small contractors alike, teaming agreements, joint venture agreements, and subcontracts can be essential to winning and successfully performing federal government contracts. In this three-part series, government contracts attorneys Nicole Pottroff and John Holtz will explain how to develop, negotiate and administer agreements that are both compliant and effective. The presentations will cover both the key rules (such as flow-downs and ostensible subcontractor affiliation) and best practices for agreements that go beyond the bare minimum legal requirements. Hope you will join us! Register here.

Event Announcement: Procurement & Contracting Symposium hosted by Texas El Paso APEX Accelerators, July 25, 2023

I’m very excited to be speaking at the Procurement & Contracting Symposium held at EPCC Administrative Services Center (ASC) in El Paso, Texas on July 25.  The wonderful Pablo Armendariz is putting this one together. I’ll be providing a comprehensive update on the most important government contracting legal changes.

It’s going to be a great opportunity for Federal, state, and local government agencies, buyers, prime and subcontractors, suppliers, providers, and the regional business community to meet and participate in informative training sessions as well as receive government contracting guidance, updates, and upcoming forecasts. I hope to see you there! Here is the event link, for additional information.

Event: SBA Mentor Protege Program Webinar hosted by Texas El Paso APEX Accelerators, June 27, 10:00am-11:30am MDT

Touted as a “game-changer” when it was first introduced in 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protégé Program isn’t new anymore. Known now as simply the “SBA Mentor-Protégé Program,” it is still extremely powerful for large and small contractors alike.

In this course, Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC government contracts attorneys Stephanie Ellis and I will explain the ins and outs of the Mentor-Protégé Program, covering the program’s eligibility requirements, its potent benefits (including the ability to form special mentor-protégé joint ventures), the application process, and common misconceptions and pitfalls. Free Registration Link here. Hope you will join us!

Event: Ethics in Federal Government Contracting Webinar hosted by Govology, June 15, 1:00pm EDT

Uncle Sam only wants to do business with ethical contractors — and not all of the government’s ethics rules are intuitive. In this webinar, government contracts attorney, Nicole Pottroff, explains the ins and outs of the key ethics rules contractors should know, including organizational conflicts of interest, contingent fees, collusion, gratuities, the False Claims Act, and the Procurement Integrity Act. The presentation concludes with an in-depth look at what a compliant Ethics Plan and Internal Compliance Program should include. We hope you will join us. Registration link here.