Veterans Day: Thank You for Your Service

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Today, at SmallGovCon, we would like to take this opportunity to honor all the veterans and active-duty military for their service.

The first celebration using the term Veterans Day occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1947. Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organized “National Veterans Day,” which included a parade and other festivities, to honor all veterans. The event was held on November 11, then designated Armistice Day.

Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I in 1918, when major hostilities officially ceased on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Later, U.S. Representative Edward Rees, from our home state of Kansas, proposed a bill that would change Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

Today, Veterans Day is a time to reflect on the contributions of millions of men and women who have defended their country, often enduring incredible hardship and separation from their families. It’s a moment for communities nationwide to show gratitude and respect, whether through parades, ceremonies, or personal acts of kindness toward veterans.

Thank you for your service, Veterans!

Compensation for Professional Employees and You: GAO Sustains Where Agency Doesn’t Explain Why Proposed Decreased Compensation is Reasonable

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While the federal government uses wage determinations for many occupations that contractors must abide by, things are different with professional occupations such as physicians, accountants, engineers, and (yours truly) attorneys. Contractors generally have more leeway with regard to how they pay their professional employees on a given contract. But it’s not unlimited. This is something that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) didn’t address in its evaluation for a procurement, resulting in a successful GAO protest. In this post, we’ll look at the rules here and what went wrong.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: November 4-8, 2024

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Hello, blog readers! We want to extend a special thank you to all the veterans and active-duty military as we approach Veterans Day. Thank you for your service. Enjoy the weekend.

It’s Friday and it’s time for another week in review. With the recent election behind us, the focus shifts to addressing major issues facing the new Congress. Also this week, SBA announced a record number of certifications for diverse-owned small businesses in FY24. SBA unveiled plans for a streamlined certification process in FY25, aimed at reducing bureaucratic barriers for small firms. SBA also issued a proposed rule to expand the small business rule of two.

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Webinar Event: Legal Updates 2024 hosted by the Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship, November 20, 2024

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The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship is hosting this helpful, virtual workshop on Legal Updates 2024. In this webinar, government contracting attorneys, John Holtz and Gregory Weber will discuss the most important legal developments for federal contractors in 2024. Specifically, we will discuss important new small business rules, updates to the 8(a) rules and application procedures, joint venture changes, updated SDVOSB certification requirements, key provisions of the recent National Defense Authorization Act, recent cases pertinent to federal contractors, and more. Hope you can join us! Register here.

SBA OHA: Operating Agreements Must Clearly Demonstrate Control

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A recent appeal before the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) upheld SBA’s denial of an application for a veteran-owned small business because its operating agreement gave too much control to a non-veteran owner and failed to identify a veteran as the highest officer. The decision in Facekay LLC demonstrates the importance of strict adherence to the control requirements laid out by the various SBA programs.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: October 28-November 1, 2024

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Hello, Blog Readers and happy November! We hope you have had a productive month and are looking forward to finishing strong this year. It’s that time of year for looking at fall colors and going to the pumpkin patch, and handing out candy to trick or treaters. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and can get out a enjoy the fall weather in your neck of the woods.

This week in federal government contracting NASA has announced a $1.8 billion COSMOS contract and tech giants are pushing for legislation to streamline federal cloud procurement, aligning with the GSA’s advocacy for simpler cloud purchasing and value-based contracting. You can read more about these topics in the articles below, as well as other federal contracting news. Enjoy!

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Thank You, COFC Judicial Conference

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I recently returned from the 35th Annual Judicial Conference for the Court of Federal Claims. I wanted to send a hearty thanks to all of the organizers of the conference, especially Judge Tapp! It was a great opportunity presenting on the topic of Private Conflicts: How the New Private Sector OCI Rules Could Impact Federal Procurement. I also thoroughly enjoyed the other presentations at the conference.

For those looking for more information on this topic, here are some resources for you: