When contractors think of GAO Bid Protests, most think of the process from the perspective of the protester. However, the contract awardee is not without a voice in the bid protest process at GAO. While the agency will generally defend the contract award decision regardless, the awardee itself can also have a seat at the table. In this installment in our “Why File” series, we will explore why a contractor would want to file an intervention in a GAO Bid Protest.
Continue reading…New OCI Rule Contains Big Changes
The proposed OCI rule implementing the Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition Act has just dropped. We started discussing the Act back in early 2023 after it was passed in late 2022, and I outlined my predictions at the Court of Federal Claims judicial conference. This 108-page rule will propose some major changes for organizational conflicts of interest.
Here is a summary of some of the big changes proposed in this new rule. For those concerned about potential organizational conflicts of interest, the examples included in this proposed rule are greater in number than before, and very specific about the situations that may give rise to conflicts. This could empower agencies to look at OCIs more closely than they have in the past. Stay tuned for more updates on SmallGovCon.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week in Review: January 13-17, 2025
Happy Friday! We hope you had a great week. We are already halfway through January and looking forward to see if the Chiefs can finish the three-peat!
The federal landscape has been busy, with updates spanning Buy America, small business dollars, and procurement complications, including Polaris protests. You can read more about these topics in the articles below. Have a great weekend!
Continue reading…Event! MyGovWatch Live: The B2G Roundtable, January 22, 2025, 12:00pm CDT
If you’re interested in winning more B2G business through the bid process, but need some answers, join this live forum and talk about this market with people who have helped hundreds of companies win government contracts. This month’s co-hosts are Koprince McCall Pottroff’s own Nicole Pottroff and Stephanie Ellis.
The event host, Nick Bernardo, President & Founder of MyGovWatch.com, has over 20 years of experience helping companies of all sizes figure out how to find, compete for, and actually win government contracts. Sign up now to join this free opportunity to speak with experts including some of your favorite SmallGovCon authors. Anyone who joins and asks a question qualifies for a 30-day free MyGovWatch trial to hear about relevant bids and RFPs. Register here.
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NRuUzYXuQE2KzI9VhHvbnQ#/registration
SmallGovCon Week in Review: January 6-10, 2025
It’s Friday and time for another week in review! We hope you have had a great week and are safe from the extreme weather conditions the country seems to be experiencing right now. We are still digging out from the blizzard sent our way by the polar vortex. We also hope that our readers in California are safe and well. Our thoughts go out to all of you that are dealing with those devastating wildfires.
This week in federal government contracting news had some interesting stories including withdrawals of federal regulations on contractor greenhouse gas emissions and pay equity, as well as opportunities for federal contractors in 2025.
Continue reading…Govology Webinar: An Introduction to Government Small Business Certifications (2025 Update), January 21, 2025, 1:00 pm EST
Steven Koprince, Govology legal analyst and retired founder of Koprince McCall Pottroff will be presenting this webinar. In this course he provides a big-picture overview of small business certifications in the government marketplace and you will learn about various federal small business certification programs, including Small Business Self Certification, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) & 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Economic Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB).
This course has been updated to reflect recent changes set forth in two SBA regulations released in late 2024. He will also touch on state and local certification programs and provide information on additional training and resources you can use to develop a deeper understanding and get help with any federal, state, and small business certification program. Register here.
Game Changers for Government Contractors: Understanding the Small Business Rule of Two
Thanks to Michael LeJeune for hosting me on his podcast, Game Changers for Government Contractors. It’s always great talking to Michael and this is a very pertinent topic for a lot of contractors. The Rule of Two is undergoing some changes in proposed rules and federal contractors need to be aware of those changes. In this episode, I discuss what the Rule of Two is, how it impacts small business set-asides, and the recent changes affecting task orders under multiple award contracts (MACs). We also discuss valuable insights on the differences between the SBA’s Rule of Two and the VA’s version, key exceptions, and how small businesses can respond if they see non-compliant procurements. If you’re a small business looking to leverage the Rule of Two to win more contracts, this episode is packed with actionable strategies and expert advice to help you navigate these changes effectively.
To listen on your favorite podcast platform, click below:
🎙️FA: https://federal-access.com/ep-352-understanding-the-small-business-rule-of-two/
🎙️Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3y4sNdA
🎙️Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SPTZoB
📺To watch, click here: https://youtu.be/xDeoiIEpBeI
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