Every five years the SBA is supposed to review some of its size standards. In August 2025, the SBA issued a proposed rule which would increase the size standard for over two hundred and sixty industries. As the proposed rule explains in great detail, SBA increased size standards for some NAICS codes and retained others. Let’s take a closer look.
Continue reading…Check out SmallGovCon’s own Nicole Pottroff on the T.W.I.G. Podcast Discussing 8(a) Program Updates
Partner Nicole Pottroff recently appeared on the GovGenie This Week in Government Contracting (T.W.I.G.) Podcast. The topic was Navigating New SBA 8(a) Rules: What You Need to Know. It was a great time speaking with the hosts of that podcast, including Abraham Xiong. Check out this important information for those who are interested or currently in the SBA’s 8(a) Program, including a rundown of recent changes to the 8(a) Program.
Here is the link so you can check out the full recording.
Questions about this post? Email us. Need legal assistance? Call us at 785-200-8919.
Looking for the latest government contracting legal news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Govology Webinar: Avoiding Common Bid Protest Mistakes, September 11, 2025
Bid protests are an unavoidable part of federal contracting—and they seem to be happening more often as competition grows. What many contractors don’t realize is that the outcome of a protest is often determined before it’s even filed. Understanding the rules, timelines, and procedures is critical to protecting your company’s chances.
In this focused course, federal government contracting attorneys John Holtz and Gregory Weber will break down the most common mistakes contractors make during the protest process—and how to avoid them.
Key topics include:
- The difference between bid protests and size/status protests
- What pre-bid protests are and why they matter
- Critical deadlines and how debriefs affect them
- How to get the most from a debrief
- Frequent pitfalls that can hurt the protest success
Please join us for this informative Govology webinar by registering here.
GAO Report Discusses Potential Reforms for Fee Shifting and Enhanced Pleading Standards in Protests
It’s no secret to anyone that the landscape of federal government contracting has been rapidly changing in recent years. For instance, there have been concerns that mentor-protégé joint ventures under the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program have been too successful. More recently, changes have been made to small business contracting goals to reduce the agency level requirements for small disadvantaged business (including 8(a) Program) prime contracts. Today, based on a recent GAO report, we are going to take a look at the current state of GAO bid protests which, if you didn’t know, have been around for nearly a century!
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 18-22, 2025
Happy Friday! It’s beginning to look like the Fall season is upon us, with the kids going back to school and football season starting. Our college town is buzzing with activities as the students arrive to start the semester. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and can catch a game or two.
This week in federal government contracting, take a look at articles showing potential GSA acquisitions for an AI procurement system, increased use of best in class contracts, and new cybersecurity requirements.
Continue reading…OHA Says: For a Size Protest, Bring the Receipts or Face Dismissal
Filing a size protest requires more than just pointing the finger at the protested concern and hoping SBA decides to investigate further. The protest must contain at least some level of specific information that demonstrates why the protested concern is other than small.
SBA regulations, in particular, require that the size protest be “sufficiently specific to provide reasonable notice as to the grounds upon which the protested concern’s size is questioned.” 13 C.F.R. § 121.1007(b). The protest should provide a basis for the belief or allegation. In other words, the protester can’t simply allege a concern is other than small or affiliated without providing specific information to support the claim. SBA warns that a protest lacking “sufficient specificity” will be dismissed.
Now, it doesn’t happen too often, but a recent decision shows that SBA will dismiss protests when it finds the initial support to be lacking.
Continue reading…SBA Aims to Streamline SBIC Program, Make Investment Easier
For years, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has run a program for Small Business Investment Companies (or SBICs) to, in part, allow for “low-cost, government-backed capital that you can use to increase private investments in U.S. small businesses.” For small business federal contractors, there is also an affiliation benefit that applies to SBICs. But, we have often heard from clients and others that it is not straightforward to work with an SBIC. Today, we look at a rule recently proposed by SBA that aims to make the SBIC program more flexible and easier to work with, entitled “Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Regulatory Amendments.”
Continue reading…