Event: Responsibility in Government Contracting, Hosted by Govology

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Steven Koprince

To be awarded a government contract, a company must do more than submit the winning proposal — it must be “responsible.” The concept of responsibility in government contracting is far-reaching and can include such things as having adequate financial resources, a satisfactory ethical record, acceptable past performance, and even required security clearances.

On July 15, please join me and Chris Coleman as we discuss this cornerstone of government contracting in a session hosted by Govology. Chris and I will cover responsibility in-depth, including what is inclued in the FAR’s definition of responsibility, how the government evaluates responsibility, and how a small business can challenge a non-responsibility determination through the SBA’s Certificate of Competency process.

It’s easy to register: just click here. See you on July 15!

Certificates of Competency: A Little-Known Friend of the Small-Business Contractor

Posted on July 7, 2021 by John Holtz

You can’t believe it. You did everything right. The solicitation required that offerors have three distinct licenses. You have two, but one should cover for the license you don’t have. However, the agency says you have to have all three as distinct licenses, and denies your offer. Fortunately, you have a potential savior: The Certificate of Competency (“COC”)

Five Things You Should Know: Eligibility for Small Disadvantaged Business Self-Certification

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Steven Koprince

The Administration’s recent announcement that it plans to boost Small Disadvantaged Business contracting by 50% means that we may see increased interest by government agencies and large prime contractors alike in doing business with self-certified SDBs.

But my guess is that the Administration’s push will come with additional oversight, too–after all, increasing the goal isn’t worth much if the government cannot be confident that the contracts it counts toward its SDB goals were awarded to eligible entities. In my experience, many contractors check the SDB box in SAM without fully understanding what it takes to be an eligible Small Disadvantaged Business under federal contracting laws.

So before you click that box (or re-click it on your next SAM update) here are five things you should know about eligibility for self-certified SDB status.

CIO-SP4: Is it Limiting Mentor Experience Too Much?

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Shane McCall

The CIO-SP4 is a big deal for many small and large federal contractors. And lately it’s been a bit of a moving target as to how NITAAC will evaluate the experience of companies working together in prime-sub, mentor-protégé, and joint-venture relationships. We wrote about some of the issues with past performance and other recent changes. One change that caught my eye puts a restriction on the number of experience examples a large business mentor can provide. But should it?

Event: 8(a) Program Conversation with Teresa Moon of Parabilis

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Steven Koprince

For disadvantaged small businesses, the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program can help level the playing field by providing powerful benefits, including access to sole source and set-aside contracts. And in the wake of the Administration’s announcement that it will attempt to boost SDB contracting by 50%, this could be the right time for many businesses to consider an 8(a) Program application.

On Wednesday, June 30 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, please join me as I discuss the 8(a) Program with Teresa Moon of Parabilis. As a back-and-forth conversation (not a webinar), this promises to be an informative and fun event. Click here to sign up. See you on June 30!

Inadvertent Release of Incumbent Pricing Data Leads to Sustained Protest

Posted on June 28, 2021 by SmallGovCon Contributor

Protecting sensitive business information, especially pricing, is essential even in the GAO bid protest realm. As an agency found out, even an inadvertent release of such information could lead to a sustained protest.

This slip up resulted in the cancellation of a nearly $1 billion contract. Needless to say, this was a big deal. How did this happen, and what should parties be looking for to protect their confidential data?

CIO-SP4 Amendment 4: Undoing Amendment 3? Sort Of

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Nicole Pottroff

Last night, NITAAC released Amendment 4 to the CIO-SP4 RFP. The amendment removes the language expressly restricting the use of first-tier subcontractors past performance, capabilities, and experience, which was previously added by Amendment 3. Let’s take a closer look.