Recent SBA OHA Decision Offers NAICS Code Appeal Guidance

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Shane McCall

As we’ve noted here on SmallGovCon, appealing the assignment of a NAICS code for a solicitation is often successful. But the time frame for doing so is short, and there are other procedural limitations. Given the short deadlines and procedural hurdles, are there any signals to help identify when a NAICS code appeal might be in order?

Recently, SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals provided some guidelines in discussing the assignment of NAICS codes in the Computer Facilities Management Services, Research and Development, and Engineering Services codes.

Don’t Overlook the Seemingly Perfunctory in Your Proposal: CAGE Codes

Posted on September 10, 2018 by SmallGovConContributor

As our readers well know, a good proposal for a federal government procurement is an exercise in persuasive writing. You muster your creative powers to convince the source selection authority that you offer the best product or service, that your price is competitive, and that your past performance is stellar. So you invest heavily in your proposal writers; you review your proposal repeatedly to polish and ensure that it compels; you agonize.

But while the artistic portion of your proposal is, without dispute, extraordinarily important, don’t neglect the seemingly mundane–like CAGE codes. Get that wrong, and GAO just might sustain your competitor’s protest.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 3-7, 2018

Posted on September 7, 2018 by SmallGovConContributor

Happy Friday, everybody!

As always, we wanted to bring you a roundup of government contracting news. In this week’s edition of the SmallGovCon Week in Review, we’ll take a look at some potential updates to GSA contracts, reminders of the trouble that comes along with defrauding the government, and more.

Have a great weekend!

GAO: Protest Sustained Where Agency Improperly Applied Adjectival Ratings

Posted on September 6, 2018 by SmallGovConContributor

Recently, GAO sustained a bid protest where the ratings assigned to the unsuccessful offeror’s proposal did not conform to the definitions identified within the Solicitation.

For those of you frequent the blog, you may recall earlier this year when we blogged on GAO’s decision in Immersion Consulting, LLC, B-415155 et al. (Dec. 4, 2017) where the Source Selection Authority had unilaterally revised the Source Selection Evaluation Board’s evaluation prior to making an award decision. GAO sustained the protest and instructed the agency to reevaluate proposals. This same procurement was subject to another round of protests following the agency’s reevaluation.

DoD Increases Micro-Purchase Threshold to $10,000, Effective Immediately

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Steven Koprince

The Department of Defense has issued a class deviation raising the micro-purchase threshold to $10,000, effective immediately.

The increase implements Section 821 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law last month.

5 Things You Should Know: Size Protests and Appeals

Posted on September 4, 2018 by SmallGovConContributor

See our updated post on this topic here.

Koprince Law recently gave a presentation on small business size and affiliation issues the Contract Opportunities Center. This presentation got us thinking: “Wouldn’t our loyal SmallGovCon readers want to know 5 Things about size protests and appeals?”

“Of course they would!” we immediately answered our own internal monologue. “After all, who wouldn’t?”

Here are 5 Things You Should Know about size protests and appeals:

SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 27-31, 2018

Posted on August 31, 2018 by SmallGovConContributor

The Labor Day weekend is inching closer! Before you enjoy the unofficial end of summer, let’s take a look at the SmallGovCon Week in Review.

This week’s edition includes suggestions for interacting with a Contracting Officer Representative, a proposed DFARs amendment, contractors behaving badly, and more.

Have a great weekend!