Thank You, Quad Cities!

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Steven Koprince

I am back from a trip to the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa, where I gave two presentations at the Midwest Small Business Government Contracting Symposium.

It was great to spend two days meeting with small government contractors, large mentors and small business liaison officers, government officials and others in the industry. A big “thank you” to the Iowa/Illinois Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association for organizing an outstanding event that is rapidly becoming known as one of the nation’s premier conferences for small government contractors. Thanks also to the Illinois PTAC, the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, and all of the other event sponsors for their contributions, and to the Midwest SBLO Group for inviting me to address its quarterly meeting. And of course, thanks to all of those who attended the conference (and my presentations!)

If you weren’t able to make it to this year’s symposium, it’s never too early to start planning for 2015. Hope to see you there!

GAO: Emailed Proposal In Agency’s Possession Was Not “Late”

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Steven Koprince

In a victory for common sense, the GAO has held that a proposal that was in the agency’s possession before the due date was not “late,” even though the offeror emailed the proposal to the agency instead of submitting it through an online portal.

The agency’s attempt to reject the proposal was particularly egregious because the agency told the protester that the proposal could be submitted by email–then rejected the proposal when the protester did just that.

Simplified Acquisitions: Soliciting Three Local Sources Satisfied Competition Requirements

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Steven Koprince

The Army did not violate the Competition in Contracting Act by soliciting only three local sources for a simplified acquisition to be performed outside of the United States.

In a recent bid protest decision, the GAO explained that under the circumstances, the Army was not required to publish notice of the procurement on the FedBizOpps website, and satisfied the competition requirements by seeking quotations from three local sources.

Thank You, Wichita!

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Steven Koprince

I am back from a day-long road trip to Wichita, where I gave a presentation on communications between industry and contracting officials.

It was great to spend the morning meeting with so many local government contractors. A big “thank you” to Terri Bennett, Jason Porch, Scott Knapp, and Lisa Haggard of the Kansas PTAC, as well as Marcia Stevens and the Kansas SBDC, for organizing the event. And of course, extra thanks to the contractors and others who attended the session and asked great questions.

If you’re a Kansas government contractor but weren’t able to make it to yesterday’s event, I have good news. In June, I will be presenting the same seminar in Overland Park. Details coming soon.

GAO Won’t Reconsider Federal Courts’ Decisions In Job Corps Set-Aside Cases

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Steven Koprince

The GAO will not reconsider a bid protest that has been litigated in the Court of Federal Claims and affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In a recent bid protest decision, the GAO dismissed a protest challenging the Department of Labor’s decision to set aside two solicitations for small businesses, because the federal courts had already ruled that the set-asides were appropriate.

Moving SDVOSB Verification To SBA Would Save $5 Million Annually, Says CBO

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Steven Koprince

Moving SDVOSB verification from the VA to the SBA would save approximately $5 million annually, according to a recent cost estimate issued by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO concludes that implementing the Improving Opportunities for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Act of 2013 would save money because the SBA would be able to take advantage of systems already in place for other certification programs. The CBO estimate may reignite debate over the potential transfer of the SDVOSB verification program from the VA to the SBA.