Category Archives: Federal Government Contracting

Free Webinar! The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program hosted by Washington DC APEX Accelerators, February 27, 10:30am -12:30 PM EST

Posted on by

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 webinar, Gregory Weber and I will explain the ins and out of the SBA 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. Target Audience: Small Businesses (SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), SDB) and large businesses interest in doing business with the federal government. Please join us and register here. And thanks to Earl King of the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development and Apex Accelerator for organizing this event.

Event! MyGovWatch Live: The B2G Rountable hosted by Nick Bernardo, February 21, 2024, 12:00pm CST

Posted on by

Check out the full video from this event here. This edition of MyGovWatch Live: The B2G Roundtable, hosted by MyGovWatch President Nick Bernardo along with govcon legal experts Nicole Pottroff and John Holtz from Koprince McCall Potroff! In this session, we talked with an African American gentleman interested in learning about “Super 8(a)” firms and the history and development around the 8(a) program as it relates to Native American Organizations. We talked to a specialty contractor SDVOSB about which portions of the FAR apply when he is acting as a Federal subcontractor for products, services, or both on Federal construction jobs. Our cohosts gave an update on the transition of SDVOSB certification from the Veterans Administration to the Small Business Administration (SBA), and mentioned details on SBA size threshold limit changes for small businesses in different NAICS codes. We talked about various legal structures allowable for potential 8(a) firms owned by the same principal(s). There was an interesting discussion on using open records laws to learn about what a winning proposal looks like at the state and local level, and we covered best practices in proposal development.

If you’re interested in learning more about the federal government contracting business, please join John Holtz and I, who will be co-hosting with Nick Bernardo at this live podcast event. Sign up now to join this free opportunity to speak with experts, who have actually helped people succeed in govcon and who will be happy to answer your questions. Please register here. For more information on this and other upcoming events visit my MyGovWatch.com.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: February 5-9, 2024

Posted on by

Happy Friday Readers. We hope you all have had a great week. We are enjoying some milder winter weather here in Kansas finally. We still have a bit to go before spring, but it feels like it is right around the corner. We will be following our KC chiefs as they look to defend their Super Bowl title!

Enjoy the weekend and we also hope you will enjoy reading the articles below, regarding federal government contracting this week. Some highlights include more on the push to increase small business participation, and new legislation that will have an impact on contractors.

Continue reading →

GAO: Brand Name or Equal RFQ Must Explicitly State All Salient Characteristics

Posted on by

Solicitations for brand name or equal products are commonly used by contracting officers to ensure that the products procured via the contract meet minimum requirements. However, as one agency found, the salient characteristics required to meet the minimum requirements must be explicitly stated in the solicitation. And, evaluating the product on any characteristics that are not included in the solicitation, even if incorporated by reference to the name brand item, can lead to an improper exclusion of offerors from competition.

Continue reading →

SmallGovCon Week in Review: Jan. 28-Feb. 2, 2024

Posted on by

Happy February! Our Kansas City Chiefs have once again managed to make it back into the Super Bowl and we couldn’t be happier about it! Whether you’re a Chiefs fan, a 49ers fan or a Swiftie, it’s sure to be a good one! Start gathering those favorite snack recipes and get out the lucky sports gear, folks!

This week in federal government contracting news had some important updates, including a new GSA schedule catalog platform, a report on savings in software purchases, and a revamped SBA training program for small businesses.

Continue reading →

OMB Issues Command to Increase Small Business Participation on MACs

Posted on by

The White House has issued a memorandum that calls for specific procedures for Increasing Small Business Participation on Multiple-Award Contracts. To that end, OMB has recommended steps such as increasing small business order set-asides and maximizing small business set-asides across multiple types of contracts. Perhaps most importantly, OMB has directed federal agencies to apply the small business Rule of Two for all orders, which should has the potential of leading to an increase in small business set-asides. Below, we dive into these new recommendations.

Continue reading →

SmallGovCon Week in Review: January 22-26, 2024

Posted on by

Happy Friday! We hope you had a productive week. We are slowly exiting the deep freeze that we have been enduring the past few weeks, here in the midwest. We’ve had snow, ice, rain and sub degree temperatures! Not fun! We are looking forward to seeing the sun again and warmer days. Hope you are doing well and looking forward to a nice weekend.

This week in federal government contracting news saw some interesting stories, including a push to streamline contracting and GSA not following procurement rules.

Continue reading →