If you are a Federal Supply Schedule contract holder competing for a BPA, then there’s an important principle that you should bear in mind: your underlying FSS contract should cover the entire anticipated duration of the blanket purchase agreement, including all option years.
And don’t try to provide this coverage with two different FSS contracts. That will get you into trouble–as one unfortunate contractor recently found out.
Continue reading…Just last week during a Govology webinar on Women-Owned Small Businesses, one of the attendees asked an insightful question about the different standards for giving sole source awards to participants in various government programs. She wanted to know the difference between how contracting officers go about offering an 8(a) sole source award and a WOSB sole source award.
So, let’s take a look, shall we?
Continue reading…Solicitations are intended to provide contractors with sufficient information about an agency’s needs to compete intelligently for government awards. In a recent procurement for special operations forces training facilities, one bidder alleged the solicitation provided so little detail that the solicited site “might just as well be a thrown-together paintball site for teenage birthday parties.”
Clearly in no mood to party, GAO denied the protest, taking the agency at its word that its requirements were minimal.
Continue reading…Last May, we reported on proposed changes to the SBA’s Women Owned Small Business Program Certification Process. Now, the SBA’s website includes updated information about what those changes may mean for existing and new WOSBs.
Continue reading…Around these parts, we’re counting down the days to the Super Bowl, where we can watch our hometown Chiefs hopefully win their first one in half a century. But in the mean time, we’re still keeping a watchful eye on all things government contracting so we can keep our readers on track.
This week, articles include using AI to help evaluate contractor past-performance data, contractors don’t understand the new DOD cybersecurity requirements, and sharing data about security clearance checks.
Continue reading…When considering where to file a bid protest, you have options at the agency level, Government Accountability Office, and Court of Federal Claims. But not all options are available for protests of task and delivery order awards. The Court of Federal Claims recently reminded a protester that it lacks jurisdiction over task and delivery orders, even where an agency is proposing to bundle multiple separate contracts into one task order.
Continue reading…Following up on its proposed waiver of the nonmanufacturer rule for laptops in December (which we covered here), the SBA is now proposing waivers for exercise equipment, sophisticated walkie-talkies, and more.
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