GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service Over-Reported Small Business Contracts by $89 Million

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Shane McCall

Every year, when the SBA releases its annual Small Business Procurement Scorecard, I hear from a few folks who mistrust the data. “I think small business awards are being over-reported,” is a pretty common theme for Scorecard skeptics.

A new GSA Office of Inspector General report is a reminder that it’s not paranoia if people are really out to get you. According to the GSA OIG, the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service over-reported small business contracts by a whopping $89 million in just two fiscal years.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: Sept. 14-18, 2020

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Shane McCall

On Monday, the calendar officially moves to fall. Hopefully you have plans to enjoy the last weekend of Summer 2020, whether it’s at the beach, the lake, or just firing up the backyard grill.

Before the weekend begins, it’s time as always for our Friday rundown of the latest and greatest (or not-so-greatest) in federal government contracting. In this week’s edition, an Oregon man gets jail time for his role in a DoD fraud scheme, two members of the CMMC Advisory Board are unexpectedly out, the Air Force makes a long-term commitment to telework, and much more.

Happy National PTAC Day!

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Shane McCall

I wanted to wish our readers a fine National PTAC Day! The local PTACs are an invaluable resource for many federal contractors, especially those just starting out in the federal contracting space.

There are PTACs in all 50 states. And those local branches serve over 48,000 clients. Be sure to give your local PTAC some love this week!

Inspector General: SBA’s Certify.SBA.gov Platform “Has Not Accomplished Its Objectives”

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Nicole Pottroff

The SBA’s “Certify” website, certify.SBA.gov, has fallen far short of meeting its objectives, according to an eye-opening report from the SBA’s Office of Inspector General.

The OIG concludes that, despite an investment of $30 million, Certify “does not have many of the essential search, analytical, and reporting tools it was supposed to have.” Additionally, Certify’s lack of functionality has forced SBA employees to use time-consuming workarounds, causing delays in screening and approving applications, among other things.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: Sept. 7-11, 2020

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Shane McCall

Before 2001, September 11 was just another day on the calendar. Now, nineteen years later, that date is burned into the minds of everyone old enough to remember. Today, let’s all take a moment to honor those who died, their loved ones, and the first responders who risked their lives to help others.

Before we head into the weekend, it’s time for our weekly look at what’s happening in the world of federal government contracts. In this week’s SmallGovCon Week in Review, a contractor agrees to pay back wages and fringe benefits after a government investigation, supply chain problems are hampering the typical end-of-fiscal-year spending boom, and much more.

Beta.SAM.gov: Check Early & Check Often!

Posted on September 10, 2020 by SmallGovCon Contributor

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: when it comes to submitting your GAO protest, meeting GAO’s strict timeliness requirements is a must. So is watching out for notices on contract awards posted online. In Prudential Protective Services, LLC, B-418869 (Aug. 13, 2020), the protest was dismissed as untimely because it was filed more than 10 days after notice of the award was posted to beta.SAM.gov.

In VA Tiered Evaluation, Small Business Couldn’t Protest SDVOSB Discussions

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Shane McCall

After the Supreme Court’s unanimous Kingdomware decision affirmed the VA’s statutory obligation to prioritize SDVOSBs in its contracting, the VA authorized the use of so-called “tiered evaluations.” In a typical VA tiered evaluation, various categories of offerors can submit proposals, but SDVOSB proposals are considered first, then VOSB proposals, and so on.

Recently, a non-SDVOSB small business protested the VA’s decision to open discussions with the only SDVOSB offeror to submit a proposal–discussions that allowed the SDVOSB to win the contract. But according to the GAO, the small business couldn’t file a valid protest because the small business wasn’t in the same tier.