DOD: Sole-Source Contracts up to $100 Million Don’t Need Justification

Effective March 17, DOD contracting officers won’t have to issue a justification or obtain approval for award of a sole-source contract under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program for awards up to $100 million, up from the prior $22 million limit. This Department of Defense class deviation implements the higher dollar amount that Congress set in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

This change will likely matter most for 8(a) concerns owned by an Indian Tribe, Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) or Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO), as other 8(a) firms are limited to a smaller dollar amount for sole source awards unless only one 8(a) firm can perform the work.

Continue reading

GovCon Basics: Common Procurement Methods and Terminology

The acronyms and terminology used in federal government contracting can be a labyrinth–one sadly devoid of David Bowie. In this post, we’ll clarify some of the common methods used for government procurements, the regulations defining them, and the terminology associated with them.

Continue reading

DOD Cybersecurity Certification Standards Are Official

Well, if you’d been waiting for DOD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) standards to stop being “draft” before you took a look at them, the wait is over! Version 1.0 (no longer marked draft) was released last week. DoD has indicated it will begin using CMMC requirements in requests for information starting June 2020.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the recent release.

Continue reading

In the Market for Freeze-Dried Ice Cream? SBA’s Proposed Rule on Surplus Property May Be For You!

This month, the SBA proposed a new rule to expand access to Federal surplus personal property for veteran-owned small businesses, 8(a) Program Participants, and more.

Continue reading

The Basics: Socioeconomic Sole Source Awards

Just last week during a Govology webinar on Women-Owned Small Businesses, one of the attendees asked an insightful question about the different standards for giving sole source awards to participants in various government programs. She wanted to know the difference between how contracting officers go about offering an 8(a) sole source award and a WOSB sole source award.

So, let’s take a look, shall we?

Continue reading

We Can Work It Out? Proposed Class Waiver of Nonmanufacturer Rule for Exercise Equipment

Following up on its proposed waiver of the nonmanufacturer rule for laptops in December (which we covered here), the SBA is now proposing waivers for exercise equipment, sophisticated walkie-talkies, and more.

Continue reading

Supreme Court Declines to Hear VA Rule of Two Challenge

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case Monday that could have upended the Rule of Two’s priority over the AbilityOne program for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ procurements.

Continue reading