Govology Webinar Announcement! The Concept of “Responsibility” in Government Contracting (2025 Update), March 6, 1:00pm EST

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Shane McCall

Winning a government contract requires more than just submitting the best proposal—your company must also be deemed “responsible” by the federal government. Responsibility in government contracting goes beyond technical capabilities and pricing; it encompasses financial stability, past performance, ethics, compliance with laws, security clearances, and overall business integrity. Failure to meet responsibility requirements can lead to a contract award being denied, even if a company submits the most competitive bid.

In this webinar, government contracts attorneys, Nicole Pottroff and Stephanie Ellis of Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, will provide a comprehensive breakdown of responsibility determinations and what they mean for government contractors. You’ll gain insights into how contracting officers evaluate responsibility, what documentation and evidence contractors can provide to strengthen their case, and key actions businesses should take to avoid responsibility-related issues.

Additionally, this session will explore the special rights that small businesses have to challenge negative responsibility determinations through the SBA’s Certificate of Competency (COC) process. Understanding how and when to leverage this option can be the difference between losing a contract and securing a valuable government opportunity.

Whether you’re a new contractor or an experienced one looking to solidify your compliance and competitiveness, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to meet responsibility requirements and position your company for long-term success in the federal marketplace.

Why File: A COFC Protest

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Shane McCall

As a federal contractor, there are many factors to consider in filing a potential bid protest. In this post, we look at the potential considerations, both pros and cons, for filing a bid protest at the Court of Federal Claims (COFC). Below are some of the main items to think about in considering a bid protest at the COFC, as opposed to a bid protest at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or an agency level protest. The decision of whether, and where, to file a bid protest is one that should only be taken with care and, preferably, with the advice of counsel.

GovCon FAQs: How do I Show Service-Disabled Veteran Status for SBA?

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Gregory Weber

Many federal contractors are familiar with or have heard of the Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program. It is currently run by the SBA, but previously was administered by the VA. Due to the nature of the program being around for a while, and shifting from one agency to another in the past few years, undoubtedly there are some requirements that have changed, but contractors may not realize it. One of the requirements that has experienced change is one of the most basic: how you establish that you are a Service-Disabled Veteran. In this installment of our GovCon FAQs series, we tackle, how do you show or prove your Service-Disabled Veteran Status, now that the SDVOSB program is under the SBA?

SmallGovCon Week in Review: February 10-14, 2025

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Shane McCall

Happy Valentine’s Day! Well, our KC Chiefs just couldn’t pull off that third Super Bowl win but it sure was a fun football season, all the same. Looking forward to what might be in store for next season. Now we can start leaning into March Madness, which will be just around the corner! Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and enjoy the weekend.

Now here’s what’s happening in federal government contracting, including stories about agency restructuring, impacts on federal personnel, and strategies for contractors.

Fully Devoted or Just Rebuttable? Qualifying Veterans Overcome Full-Time Devotion Rule

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Annie Birney

It doesn’t take too long to find a blog post where we’ve discussed SBA’s Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) full-time devotion requirement. For a service-disabled veteran (SDV) to meet the SDVOSB control requirements, the SDV must control “the management and daily business operations” of the SDVOSB. This requires the SDV to be fully devoted to the SDVOSB. As a quick refresher on the full-time devotion requirement, a qualifying veteran “may not engage in outside employment that prevents [them] from devoting the time and attention to the concern necessary to control its management and daily business operations.” Further, the veteran must be able to “devote full-time during the business’s normal hours of operation” or SBA will assume lack of control. 13 C.F.R. 128.203(i). The same rule applies for the WOSB and 8(a) programs. In past decisions, SBA was OK with a veteran juggling multiple jobs as long as the hours didn’t overlap. But a recent decision shows that it may be possible to overcome this assumption.

Webinar Event! February 26, 2025, The SBA Mentor Protege Program in Collaboration with Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, 10:30-12:30pm EST

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Shane McCall

Touted as a “game-changer” when it was first introduced in 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protege Program isn’t new anymore. Known now as simply the “SBA Mentor-Protege Program, it is still extremely powerful for large and small contractors alike. In this webinar, seasoned government contracts attorneys, Shane McCall & Gregory Weber from Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, will explain the ins and out of the SBA Mentor-Protege Program, covering the program’s eligibility requirements, its potent benefits (including the ability to form special mentor-protege Joint Ventures), the application process, and common misconceptions and pitfalls.

Target Audience: Small Businesses (SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), SDB) and large businesses interest in doing business with the federal government. Register here

GovCon FAQs: How Should a Joint Venture Allocate Profits?

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Nicole Pottroff

It is a fairly standard business practice to divide profits according to ownership ratio. And a joint venture made up of only small business venturers only pursuing small business set-asides can follow this business practice—or any business practice—to divide up its profits (limited only by any applicable state, local, or Tribal law). But SBA does have specific and strict requirements for allocating the profits of any joint venture (1) between a small business protégé and its SBA-approved large business mentor, and (2) that qualifies for and pursues socioeconomic set-asides (i.e., 8(a) Program, WOSB/EDWOSB, HUBZone, VOSB/SDVOSB) and includes non-similarly situated entities.