Recently, the SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals determined that SDVOSB owners aren’t always required to personally possess the licenses required for their businesses.
Continue reading…GAO: VA Rule of Two Doesn’t Apply if Pricing Isn’t Reasonable
GAO recently gave its blessing to a VA decision not to follow the Rule of Two, despite knowing several SDVOSBs would bid. The VA’s decision was based on the contracting officer’s opinion that prices would not be fair and reasonable based on an evaluation of prices and market research.
The decision is important for providing some clarification on what research a contracting officer must undertake to establish that prices will not be fair and reasonable for purposes of the Rule of Two.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week In Review: September 2 – September 6, 2019
College football is back. In Lawrence, that means we got to see what the Mad Hatter could do his first time on the field coaching at KU. As one writer put it, having a new coach makes “people pay at least temporary attention to Kansas football.” I hope the attention lasts a while.
For those needing a break from football, or who always take a break from football, there are some interesting stories from the government contracting gridiron the past week. These include a former U.S. Army colonel sentenced to five years in federal prison for accepting bribes from a a business fraudulently claiming small business status, the ever-growing demand for federal cloud services, and a contractor owning up to overbilling the government for $2.6 million.
Continue reading…FedBizOpps is Almost Gone
There’s a scene in 2016’s War Dogs where the Jonah Hill character explains to his employees that they are going to spend all day every day digging through one website. In the background, extras are seen staring in to the blue and yellow glow of FedBizOpps.gov.
“Oh my,” I exclaimed from my couch to no one in particular. “I use that website every day—it’s terrible.”
Continue reading…The 8(a) Program: Our New Handbook is Available
The 8(a) program can be a powerful accelerator for those small businesses eligible to participate; however, these benefits come with substantial strings attached.
The latest volume of the Koprince Law LLC GovCon Handbooks series discusses this unique and heavily-regulated program.
Continue reading…GAO: We’re Not Wrong, But Our Original Recommendation Was Not Right
Whenever GAO issues a bid protest decision, some parties are happier than others. In limited circumstances, however, an unhappy party may petition GAO to reconsider its decision if the outcome was based on errors of either fact or law. It is extremely rare for GAO to reverse itself during a reconsideration request.
That may explain why in a recent reconsideration decision, GAO maintains that its decision was correct based on the facts presented to it, but GAO nevertheless modified its recommendations substantially in the face of new facts.
Continue reading…Plan Ahead to Prevent Proposal Submission Issues, Says GAO
When submitting bids, contractors should always double check their proposal submission methods, whether it be a designated portal, email, or any other method, and do so well before the deadline.
GAO recently had the opportunity to examine proposal submission issues related to a US Navy procurement, and did not show sympathy for the contractor who experienced proposal submission issues right at the deadline.
Continue reading…