SmallGovCon Week In Review May 6, 2019-May 10, 2019

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Shane McCall

There are some exciting things going on this week. First off, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! And please give recognition to all the small businesses out there contributing to the vitality of our nation. You can buy your mother a gift at a local small business and knock out Mother’s Day and National Small Business Week in one fell swoop.

Before you head out for the weekend, take a look at some of the recent news in federal government contracting. Below, you can read about some of the impressive small businesses that were recognized this week, as well as read about how government contractors were affected by the government shutdown, important changes to how security clearances will be processed, and how the DoD is looking to modernize technology acquisitions. Enjoy!

OHA Decision Reminds CVE Appellants to Show, Not Tell

Posted on May 10, 2019 by SmallGovConContributor

Just like one word answers don’t work with your mom (who you should call this Sunday!), one sentence CVE Appeals don’t usually work for OHA. In one recent case, Secure2ware, Inc., SBA No. CVE-111 (Apr. 18, 2019), OHA provided reminders about what CVE Database appeals must include.

OHA: Engine Repair Isn’t the Same as Engine Overhaul for NAICS Code Purposes

Posted on May 9, 2019 by SmallGovConContributor

Contracting officers are given significant discretion in choosing NAICS codes for procurements. But, as decision makers, they aren’t infallible. As a recent OHA case shows, using the NAICS Manual can help small business contractors challenge an incorrect NAICS code.

GAO Highlights SBA Oversight Issues with WOSB Certification and Lack of Use of WOSB Set-Asides

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Shane McCall

This is our second blog on GAO’s recent report on SBA’s management of the Woman-Owned Small Business program. Here is our initial post.

In the report, GAO analyzes SBA’s oversight of the current certification program, and reports on its study of why contracting officers don’t use the WOSB set-asides as much as one might think.

DOD Needs To Improve Space Acquisition Employee Tracking, says GAO

Posted on May 7, 2019 by SmallGovConContributor

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing; a feat accomplished through a massive federal government contract program. A half century later, the federal government continues to pour significant resources into space infrastructure, particularly through the Department of Defense.

A recent GAO report provided a glimpse into the size and composition of the Department of Defense space contracting workforce. While GAO notes more precise data is needed, it is clear that space acquisitions continue to be supported by a robust workforce.

Runway Extension Act: Congress Strikes Back

Posted on May 6, 2019 by SmallGovCon Contributor

A short time ago in a blog not too far away, we wrote about the newly passed Small Business Runway Extension Act.

Shortly after passage of the Runway Extension Act confusion struck the government contracting world when the SBA openly stated that it would not implement the Runway Extension Act. Recently, the House Committee on Small Business passed H.R. 2345, “Clarifying the Small Business Runway Extension Act” which, in no uncertain terms, tells SBA it has to implement the Runway Extension Act before the end of 2019.

SmallGovCon Week In Review April 29, 2019-May 3, 2019

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Shane McCall

Hope everyone is ready for the weekend. Around here, we’ll be enjoying a break from the intense rain that’s been coming down in the Lawrence area over the past week. What better way to welcome the weekend than with a review of what’s been happening in the government contracting world?

In this week’s roundup, we take note of new DoD rules on performance based contract payments and fixed-price contracts, ramifications of changes in the security clearance process, changes in supply chain security programs, and more.

Enjoy your weekend!