Event: Joint Ventures vs. Teaming Agreements

Posted on by

Do you want to know more about joint ventures and teaming agreements?  Do you want to spend a Friday in November enjoying the warmth of sunny Southern California?

If you answered “yes,” I am pleased to announce that I will be presenting a seminar on “Joint Ventures vs. Teaming Agreements” on November 8, 2013 in Riverside, California.  The seminar will offer a “bird’s eye” overview of the key differences between joint ventures and teaming agreements.  Attendees will learn “do’s” and “don’ts” when setting up a joint venture or team, common pitfalls, and strategies for success.

The seminar is part of the 10th Annual Veterans Economic and Business Summit.  For more information, contact the Riverside Community College District Procurement Assistance Center.  Hope to see you there!

Event: Small Business Teaming Success Workshop

Posted on by

If you are interested in small business teaming, and located in the Pacific Northwest (or plan to be), please join me and other presenters on May 3, 2013 for a free all-day workshop designed to give small contractors an in-depth look at teaming, joint venturing and subcontracting on federal procurements.

I will offer two sessions during the workshop: “Legal Aspects of Teaming and Government Contracting” and “Compliant and Effective Teaming Documents.”  Other sessions will include “Introduction to Teaming,” “To Bid or Not To Bid,” and “Proposal Writing in the Teaming Environment.”

The workshop will be held in Oregon City, Oregon (near Portland) and is sponsored by two great organizations, Powering Up! Small Business Teams and the Clackamas Small  Business Development Center. Visit the workshop’s registration page to sign up.  I hope to see you there!

Groundhog Day is Here: SBA OHA Shoots Down Another 8(a) Program Rejection

Posted on by

In the 1990s comedy Groundhog Day, Bill Murray played a weatherman who found himself living the same day over and over again.  I am having the same feeling reading SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals cases these days (yes, this is what qualifies as my reading material of choice; don’t judge).

As it has at least five other times since December, SBA OHA has shot down the SBA’s rejection of an 8(a) application under the “social disadvantage” factor.  As was the case in several other recent decisions, the latest volley from SBA OHA states that the SBA failed to properly consider the evidence and explain its rationale for denying an 8(a) applicant.

Continue reading…

Mentor-Protege Program Fraud: Contractor Agrees to $1.15 Million Settlement

Posted on by

An Alabama-based construction company has agreed to pay more than a million dollars to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently representing that it was mentoring a minority-owned small business under the Department of Defense’s mentor-protege program.

The settlement puts to rest the Justice Department’s False Claims Act contention that the contractor used its so-called “protege” as little more than a pass-through entity and failed to provide real mentoring services to the small business.

Continue reading…

HUBZone Certification Not Required At Solicitation Issuance, Says GAO

Posted on by

A Treasury Department solicitation did not require contractors to be certified HUBZone participants at the time the solicitation was issued, despite language in the solicitation arguably requiring just that in order to receive a high rating for socioeconomic status.

In a recent GAO bid protest decision, the GAO held that the agency properly interpreted the solicitation to require HUBZone certification at the time proposals were due, not the time the solicitation was issued.  The GAO’s ruling comports with the HUBZone program regulations, which do not require contractors to be certified at the time a solicitation is issued in order to be considered HUBZone participants for purposes of that solicitation.

Continue reading…