Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC’s New Joint Venture Handbook Is Now Available!

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Shane McCall

We are pleased to announce that our updated Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC GovCon Handbook, on Joint Ventures, is now available! This handbook–complete with all of the SBA’s important changes from the past couple years–was co-authored by me and Nicole Pottroff as well as firm founder Steven Koprince. It is now available through Amazon at this link.

The Joint Venture Handbook is one of our most popular. Joint ventures are a great way for small businesses to partner with other companies and get a competitive edge on federal contracts. But there are many SBA-required components, and SBA is strict in reviewing those compenents.

That’s why the Joint Venture Handbook provides a step-by-step, easy-to-understand method for working through the SBA joint venture process. We hope you find it informative.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: October 17-21, 2022

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday, Readers! The fall leaves are absolutely beautiful here in Lawrence, Kansas right now. We’ve had our first freeze and the mornings have been quite chilly. As the seasons change in Kansas, our temperatures can fluctuate drastically. One day it’s 80 degrees and the next it’s 20. Those weather apps sure do come in handy to help decide which coat to wear. We hope you had a great week and are enjoying the fall beauty in your area of the world.

An announcement was made from the Safer Federal Workforce task force and the Office of Management and Budget releasing guidance to agencies on how to handle vaccine protocols moving forward. You can read more about this and other articles that we found informative below. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

The Anatomy of a Solicitation: How to Read the Standard Sections of a Federal Solicitation

Posted on October 20, 2022 by SmallGovCon Contributor

Being familiar with the structure of a solicitation is imperative if you hope to be a successful federal government contractor. However, the solicitations that accompany competitive procurements, in the form of a “request for quote,” “invitation for bid,” or “request for proposal,” are often lengthy, making it easy for contractors that are new to federal government contracting to get lost in the legalese, and unable to pinpoint the vital information. Does that mean that parts of the solicitation are not important? Not at all. Contractors should be familiar with all parts of the solicitation. But knowing what to expect, and how to quickly find information that may make or break your decision to submit an offer will increase your efficiency and effectiveness when drafting proposals, saving you precious time for other important things.

Govology Webinar Event: Communicating with Government Contracting Officials: What Can (and Should) Contractors Really Say and Do? October 20, 2022, 1:00pm EDT

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Shane McCall

When it comes to effective communication, the government and industry often get it wrong. Misconceptions and misunderstandings abound and can prove very costly for contractors.

In this webinar, Nicole Pottroff and I will debunk some of the most common myths and misunderstandings held by contractors, including when and how you can communicate one-on-one with a contracting officer, who has authority to modify your contract, what to do when an unauthorized official gives you instructions, how the government gratuities rules differ from standard commercial practice, and much more. I hope you will join us! Registration link is here.

Who You Gonna Call? Your Contracting Officer (Part 2)

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Nicole Pottroff

In our line of work, we regularly litigate protests, claims, appeals, etc., against the Government. But often, procuring and contracting issues can be resolved without the need for litigation–via a little-known method we like to call “talking things out with your CO.” There are also some important things to keep in mind regarding communications with your contracting officer during the proposal submission process. This article is the second of three articles aimed at providing helpful tips for communicating with your contracting officer. Part 1, which focused on pre-solicitation and solicitation communications, can be found here. This article will focus on proposal submission communications. And the third will focus on contract performance communications.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: October 10-14, 2022

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday, Readers. I don’t know about you, but it feels like fall brings with it a flurry of activity! There are so many community events going on this weekend, it’s hard to decide what to attend. We’re certainly very fortunate to have so many options. I hope you can get out and enjoy the fall activities in your neck of the woods and get in a bit of relaxation, as well. Here are some articles that we found particularly informative concerning federal government contracting this week, including GSA schedule pricing, CIO-SP4, and Polaris updates. Enjoy your weekend!

Pay it Forward, or Pay the Price, Says SBA in Proposed Rules for 8(a) Tribal Entities

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Gregory Weber

In a recent notice for Tribal consultation and request for comments, as well as a published proposed rule, the SBA seems to be signaling an increase in oversight of Native or Tribally-owned entities who are 8(a) Participants. SBA has an apparent goal of enforcing more stringent repercussions for not fully adhering to some stipulations that exclusively pertain to Native or Tribally-Owned participants in the 8(a) Business Development Program. While not final yet, the SBA has placed these potential consequences, the reasoning behind them, and the proposed rule out in the public for discussion. As these actions may present some rather drastic changes for some 8(a) Participants, I have done a quick breakdown of them here.