SmallGovCon Week in Review: December 11-15, 2023

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday! We are halfway through December already and oh my, how time does fly! 2024 is just around the corner and the holiday season is now in full swing. We hope you are enjoying all the season has to offer.

There have been a lot of changes in federal government contracting this year, and here at SmallGovCon, we strive to include weekly, helpful content that explains what the impact of those changes are on federal government contractors. Thank you so much for all the wonderful feedback. We truly appreciate it.

This week in federal government contracting had some interesting updates, including new size standard processes, and what contractors should look for in the new NDAA.

SBA’s 2023 Update: Demonstrating 8(a) Social Disadvantage

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Nicole Pottroff

SBA recently issued new guidance on how to demonstrate social disadvantage–one of the elements an individual must meet to be eligible for SBA’s illustrious 8(a) Business Development Program. The guidance implements a streamlined social disadvantage narrative format–limiting the number of social disadvantage instances to two and asking only for direct answers to six questions for each instance. The “new” format really just hones in on the elements SBA has always asked for 8(a) social disadvantage narratives to demonstrate, substantively, not changing a thing. Nevertheless, SBA has been quite firm in requiring this new, short and sweet, structured format–so let’s dig into it a bit.

A HUBZone Appeal Appears! Continuing our Look at the HUBZone Appeal Process

Posted on December 8, 2023 by John Holtz

Earlier this year, SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeal (“OHA”) released its first HUBZone status protest appeal decision. That decision, as you may recall was fairly straightforward, resulting in a dismissal of the appeal. About half a year later, OHA has issued its second HUBZone status appeal decision! This one is even more straightforward than the first one, but it is important nonetheless as it now gives us further insight into the HUBZone appeal system. Let’s take a little look.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: December 4-8, 2023

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday, Readers! It was another busy week here at SmallGovCon and in the federal government contracting world. GSA announced some new political appointees, while cyber security and AI have also been ongoing hot topics. You can read more about these and other contracting news in the articles below. Have a wonderful weekend.

Reminder: 2023 SDVOSB Deadline Looming

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Gregory Weber

SmallGovCon has covered the SBA’s assumption of control over certification of Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (“SDVOSB”) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (“VOSB”) since it was first announced well over a year ago. Now, we are coming close to one of the final deadlines associated with SBA taking over these certification processes. It is hard to believe that it is already the end of the calendar year once again. But time flies when you are having federal contracting fun! With the end of 2023 comes a crucial deadline for certain veteran businesses to keep in mind–the date for self-certification to go away.

Webinar Event: Small Business Certifications hosted by the Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship, December 14, 2023, 4:00pm EST

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Shane McCall

Please join Greg Weber and I for this informative webinar on small business certifications. Participants will get an overview about:

Woman Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business
8(a) Business Development Program
HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone)
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business

We will discuss how to get certified, how long it may take, regulations, changes, updates, and tips and tricks on how to be prepared. We hope you will join us. Register here.

Free Webinar Event: Mastering Size Calculations for SBA Size Determinations hosted by LeftBrain, December 12, 2023, 1:00pm EST

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Shane McCall

If your small business status hangs in the balance, you can’t afford mistakes in your next SBA size determination. Join us for an in-depth look at key accounting strategies and lessons from recent SBA size appeal decisions involving affiliation issues, joint ventures, and receipts calculation. Learn how to properly account for inter-affiliate transactions, raise strong arguments, and avoid missteps that could lead to an adverse size determination. Register now to demystify SBA rules and gain the knowledge needed to respond to size protests and succeed in appeals.

If you are interested, please register here.