Number of Small Businesses Awarded Federal Government Contracts Has Dropped 12.7% in Four Years

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Steven Koprince

The number of small businesses receiving government contracts dropped yet again in Fiscal Year 2020–and the four-year decline is 12.7%.

In its FY 2020 goaling scorecard, the SBA reported that 45,661 distinct small businesses received contracts in the top 100 NAICS codes. The previous fiscal year, 46,661 distinct small businesses received contracts. Four years ago, when SBA first started including this statistic in its annual reports, the number stood at 51,866. Clearly, the numbers are going in the wrong direction.

CIO-SP4 Amendment 10: More Changes and No Delay

Posted on August 17, 2021 by SmallGovCon Contributor

Amendment 10 clarifies obligated dollar values, how to have subcontracted federal work counted, restrictions to contractor participation in task areas, evaluation of contractor program manager(s), establishing a static date from which to calculate the three-year look-back for corporate experience relevance, and evaluation of labor rates.

Needless to say, there is a lot of things packed into Amendment 10, and here’s the kicker, proposals are still due August 20^th! With little time to digest, let alone alter, proposals in line with Amendment 10, NITAAC has left little room for offerors to catch up with the changes.

GAO: Multiple Contracts With Single Agency May Increase Conflict Risk

Posted on August 17, 2021 by SmallGovCon Contributor

As federal contractors begin to become engaged in multiple programs for a particular agency, the potential for the firm to encounter a situation where it finds itself involved in an organizational conflict of interest (OCI) may increase. This is particularly true with respect to “impaired objectivity” OCI, which is when a firm’s ability to render impartial advice to the government is or might be undermined by the firm’s competing interests. These OCIs often arise in service contracts where the contractor is placed in a position of evaluating its own performance on other contracts.

In a recent case, GAO found that an agency’s award of a contract created an impermissible impaired objectivity OCI for a contractor from two different perspectives for services that the contractor provided in the capacity as both a prime and subcontractor for an agency. The case is Steel Point Solutions, LLC B-419709,B-419709.2 (July 07, 2021).

SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 9-13

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday the 13th, Readers! In doing research on the origins of why Friday the 13th became an ominous day on the calendar, I found a lot of theories. Dr. Simon Bronner, a professor of American studies and folklore at Pennsylvania State University says that Friday the 13th is just a convenient milestone for people who are looking to trace bad luck to a certain cause—but there’s nothing special about the date itself. Apparently, the number 13 is considered lucky in some countries, like Italy, he adds. I’m one who prefers to look at things optimistically so I’m gong to side with the Italians on this one. I hope your Friday the 13th is the best day ever.

Here are some articles covering the happenings in federal government contracting this week. Enjoy, and have a wonderful Friday the 13th and weekend. Wishing you all “buona fortuna” (good luck in Italian).

Does the SBA’s Rosy Spin on Goaling Achievement Hurt Small Businesses?

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Steven Koprince

“Overpopulation crisis solved!” That’s the sort of headline I expect the SBA’s press team would write the day after a global thermonuclear war.

Obviously, I’m exaggerating a wee bit to make my point, but the SBA’s press release on FY 2020 small business goaling achievement follows a pattern I’ve seen across several Presidential administrations and SBA Administrators: when it comes to reporting on the small business goals, the SBA fervently emphasizes the good news while almost entirely ignoring the bad.

If you look past the headlines and examine the raw data, there is plenty of bad news to be found in the FY 2020 goaling report. So is the SBA doing a disservice to small businesses by pretending this bad news doesn’t exist?

GAO: Non-Procurement Regulations No Grounds for Protest

Posted on August 11, 2021 by John Holtz

The grounds for GAO protests are numerous, ranging from vague terms in a solicitation to showing that an awardee’s proposal lacked needed information. However, they are not unlimited. One protester argued that the terms of a solicitation were inconsistent with regulations concerning mortgage insurance. Unfortunately for them, that isn’t something GAO will consider.

GAO’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference – Too Little, Too Late

Posted on August 9, 2021 by SmallGovCon Contributor

The costs of filing a bid protest can dissuade some protesters from submitting bid protests. One silver lining for protesters is a recommendation for reimbursement of costs upon a sustained decision. However, even when GAO says a protest is “clearly meritorious”, the protest may still be dismissed prior to GAO issuing a decision.

What happens when an agency takes corrective action in the face of a likely sustained GAO decision? One protester recently found out.