The HUBZone Program has released updated FAQs that provide guidance on important HUBZone rules and how SBA will be interpreting them. While these don’t have the authority of a regulation, the new guidance shows how SBA will come down on certain HUBZone questions that aren’t answered in the regulations. These include the details on long-term investment in a principal office as well as a few other rules. Read on for how SBA will interpret these rules.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week in Review: May 17-21
It’s been a very soggy week in the Midwest and we are looking forward to our normal sunny weather here in Lawrence, Kansas. We hope you are staying dry and the sun is shining bright in your neck of the woods.
There has been a lot of activity in federal government contracting news this week including more big announcements for small businesses and federal government contractors concerning the latest executive orders on cybersecurity requirements. The SBA made an announcement about expanding HUBZone opportunities and supplements on DFARS regulations were released concerning past performance of subcontractors and joint venture partners, as well as information about post award debriefings.
We hope you enjoy your weekend and catching up on the federal government contracting news in the articles listed below.
Continue reading…Agency Not Required to Hunt Down and Investigate Bad Publicity, Says GAO
In a recent decision, GAO said that it is not the contracting agency’s job to play investigator when it comes to publicly available negative past performance information. GAO acknowledged that there may be certain situations where the agency is required to consider such information that it is aware of during its evaluation. But according to GAO, this denied protest involved no such situation.
Continue reading…$15 Minimum Wage Coming to Federal Contracting in 2022
Beginning January 30, 2022, all prime contractors and subcontractors doing work on a government contract will be required to pay workers at least $15 per hour, based on a recent executive order.
The executive order does not stop there, beginning in 2023 the wage will go up annually. When can we expect formal guidance to come out, and what other items are found in the text?
Continue reading…NAICS Code Challenges Must Show why the Code Chosen is Incorrect, OHA Says
We’ve all seen cases of agencies assigning NAICS codes to solicitations that just seem…off. But, unless a contractor can show that the code chosen was clearly erroneous, government contractors will simply have to make do with what they’ve been given. The OHA recently handed down a decision confirming this.
Continue reading…Solicitation Omits NAICS Code and Size Standard–But Agency Still Rejects Large Business’s Bid
An offeror’s bid was rejected because the offeror wasn’t a small business–even though the solicitation didn’t contain a NAICS code or corresponding size standard.
It sounds like a successful bid protest waiting to happen, but GAO didn’t see it that way. Instead, GAO dismissed the protest because the offeror should have protested the defective solicitation terms before it submitted its bid, instead of waiting to see how the competition played out.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week in Review: May 10-14, 2021
This week on the blog we continue to bring you coverage of federal government contracting news as government agencies search for solutions to cyber security challenges and, in response, contractors enhance their own cyber defenses.
Here are a several other happenings in federal government contracting news for this week, including an announcement from Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, announcing the latest application data results for the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), passed as part of the American Rescue Plan.
Have a great weekend.
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