Congress is expected to pass a huge coronavirus stimulus package in the coming days. While lobbyists and congressional staffers wrestle over the last bits and pieces to find their way in to the bill, there seems to be a pretty important group left out—small business federal contractors.
Continue reading…Announcing the COVID-19 Contractors’ Toolkit
To address the unique challenges facing federal contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic, SmallGovCon is launching the COVID-19 Contractors’ Toolkit. The goal is to provide relevant and useful information for government contractors about contract requirements, best practices, and advocacy options.
While every business will have its own unique challenges, it’s our hope to offer general information to guide decision making for federal contractors in these unprecedented times.
Continue reading…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…SmallGovCon Week In Review: March 16 – March 20, 2020
As the nation and world continue to take measures to respond to the COVID-19 threat, the federal government and federal contractors will have important roles to play, along with state and local governments, businesses, organizations, families, and individuals. As is clear from this week’s news, the federal government is ramping up its response to the crisis; federal contractors will be called on to step up in many areas.
Particularly noteworthy this week are stories about the challenges of doing classified work remotely, updates on CMMC cybersecurity standards and the impact of coronavirus on implementing the standards, as well as how the coronavirus is affecting the operations of different parts of the government.
Continue reading…Why Are There Two HUBZone Maps on the Internet?
If you were to fire up the ol’ Google and search for the phrase “hubzone map” guess what you would get—not one but two links that purport to be the Small Business Administration’s Historically Underutilized Business Development Zone (HUBZone) program map.
Is there any indication which is the correct map? No. Might one return false results? Yes.
Continue reading…Biggest Loser: GAO Dismisses Marines’ Reconsideration Request on Magazine Pouch Weight
A few months ago, we blogged on a sustained GAO decision that concluded the Marines had failed to evaluate offerors in accordance with the Solicitation. Specifically, GAO identified issues with the evaluations of offeror samples, and recommended that the Marines reevaluate offerors. In the wake of GAO’s decision, the Marines filed a request for reconsideration.
Unfortunately, the Marines request did not comply precisely with GAO’s filing procedures, resulting in a dismissal.
Continue reading…Preparing for the Worst
The hot topic of late—for good reason—is the coronavirus (or COVID-19), and its incredible impact on people and the world’s economy. It’s inescapable, and turning on the evening news can be downright scary.
We’re all concerned with how to protect our loved ones from the impact of this outbreak. But for business owners—particularly small business owners—those concerns are compounded by the fear of potential economic hardships that are almost certain to come.
In this post, we’ll discuss suggestions as to how a federal government contractor might prepare for disruptions caused by the coronavirus (or other calamities).
Continue reading…