Ignorance is bliss, right? Not always. In the world of government contracting, GAO recently dismissed a protest because its initial agency protest was not timely filed, reminding the protester that ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week In Review August 5, 2019 – August 9, 2019
Thanks to my colleagues for handling Week in Review duties last week. After a week spent camping in the mountains of Colorado, I returned rested and with a newfound respect for bears, moose, and other wildlife.
Please enjoy this week’s roundup of federal government contracting news. There are some interesting stories in here about new IT contracting initiatives from GSA schedules, NASA, and the IRS; an increase in federal tech contracts; and DOD acquisition reform.
Continue reading…GAO: Proposal Strengths Must be Based on Solicitation Criteria, Not Merely Benefit to Government
Agencies often find unanticipated, innovative content in offerors’ proposals. And unsurprisingly, those proposals are often the ones selected for award. But a recent GAO decision reminds us that all strengths an agency assigns must be supported by the stated evaluation criteria.
In other words, the solicitation must thoroughly inform offerors of these evaluation criteria, and the agency must equally evaluate offerors under them. An offeror’s proposal should not get extra credit for proposing things that are not anticipated by or logically encompassed in the solicitation.
Continue reading…ASBCA Awards Contractor Compensation for Extra-Contractual Changes
Contract changes, particularly in the construction context, can be flash points for the Government and a contractor. In some cases, the Government will assert that the contract requires the contractor to perform certain work; the contractor, pointing to the same (or another) contractual provision, will argue that the contract does not require it.
These diverging positions can sometimes lead to contentious litigation.
Continue reading…Don’t Forget to Submit Invoices on Time, Says ASBCA
The government can find many reasons to try and reject a claim. Don’t give them any easy reasons to reject if you can help it. One of those reasons to try and avoid–sending invoices late.
Continue reading…GAO Disagrees with SBA: Consolidation Analysis Not Required for BPAs
No, the government isn’t trying to figure out how it can bundle home and auto coverage to save on its insurance premiums. Instead, “consolidation” in the federal government contract context refers to the action of collecting requirements being performed under discrete small business set-aside contracts into a single procurement.
Before an agency may consolidate contracts, it must consider the impacts the proposed consolidation will have on small business participation. Recently, however, GAO was asked to determine whether consolidation analyses are required for Blanket Purchase Order (“BPA”) procurements, and its decision did not adopt the SBA’s position.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week In Review July 29, 2019 – August 2, 2019
Can you believe it’s already August? Pretty soon, kids will be heading back to school . . . and agencies will begin their fiscal year-end buying spree. In the meantime, we hope you’re enjoying some summer serenity.
Let’s ease into the weekend with the SmallGovCon Week In Review.
In this week’s edition, we’ll explore the government’s growing contracting spend, the government’s planned move away from SAM.gov, an IT procurement fraud ring, and more.
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