SmallGovCon Week In Review: November 18 – 22, 2019

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Shane McCall

SmallGovCon readers, have a great Thanksgiving! We won’t be posting our weekly roundup next week due to the holiday, but we’ll catch up on any missed news the following week.

In the mean time, enjoy this week’s roundup of federal contracting news. Also be sure to enjoy the family, friends, and food at your Thanksgiving table. My personal favorite–stuffing! Below are some interesting updates about GSA’s investigation into the rocky transition to beta.sam.gov, a guilty plea in a “Rent-A-Vet” Scheme, and Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division establishing New Business Opportunities.

Protester Hits the Trifecta: Bid Protest Sustained, Denied, and Dismissed

Posted on November 22, 2019 by SmallGovConContributor

GAO issued a bid protest decision that sustained a protest in part, dismissed it in part, and denied it in part. Contractors can learn from this that even if all the arguments do not work, all it takes is one.

High Noon Unlimited, Inc. protested the U.S. Marine Corps decision to buy rifle magazine pouches off High Speed Gear, Inc. There was a large difference in price between the two offerors, with High Noon offering approximately $2.2 million while High Speed charged just under $3.6 million.

SBA Proposes to Eliminate Some 8(a) Joint Venture Agreement Approval Requirements

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Gregory Weber

Recently, the SBA proposed big changes for its small business regulations, including some aspects of the 8(a) Program.

This post is Part 4 in our coverage of these proposed SBA changes and will cover the SBA’s potential changes to the joint venture agreement approval process for 8(a) contracts (here are part 1, part 2, and part 3 of our coverage).

Joint Venture Facility Security Clearances: SBA Wants Feedback

Posted on November 19, 2019 by SmallGovConContributor

Forming a joint venture is an important tool to help small businesses increase their competitiveness under federal acquisitions. But for all the benefits, some headaches remain.

One common issue arises when a solicitation requires the prime contractor to hold a facility security clearance. Because a joint venture is an unpopulated legal entity formed for the purpose of bidding on a specific opportunity, the joint venture itself (as the prime contractor) often lacks the needed clearance—even though the joint venture’s members might both hold it. In these situations, a form-over-substance evaluation may leave the joint venture ineligible for award.

Fortunately, the SBA has recognized the silliness of such an exclusion and has invited feedback on a potential solution.

GSA Releases IT Security and Authentication Solutions for Federal Agencies

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Nicole Pottroff

GSA released a Draft Identity, Credentialing, and Access Management (ICAM) Solutions Catalog in response to an Executive Order and a new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) policy. These ICAM Solutions will assist federal agencies in managing and monitoring user access to information systems in order to ensure secure operations and could change security and authentication procedures for federal contractors.

From the President on down, cybersecurity, including authentication, is a pressing concern for all federal contractors.

SBA Proposes Changes to Nonmanufacturer Rule and Limitations on Subcontracting

Posted on November 18, 2019 by SmallGovConContributor

The SBA recently proposed regulatory changes for a number of small business rules. While my colleagues have addressed some of the other big changes, I’ll focus on changes to the nonmanufacturer rule and limitations on subcontracting. The SBA noted that these changes are meant to eliminate confusion and streamline both processes.

Keep reading to see if you agree.

SmallGovCon Week In Review: November 11 – 15, 2019

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Shane McCall

This week, I wanted to send a special thank you our nation’s veterans. Your service is vital to our country and a big part of the work that many federal contractors perform.

With that in mind, here are some of the interesting federal contracting updates from the past week. This week we have stories about a potential government shutdown, the annual suspension and debarment report, and new tools coming to protect the supply chain from potential malicious actors.