Love is in the air this weekend as Valentine’s Day approaches.  And even if that special someone isn’t the chocolate-and-flowers type, nothing says true love like giving the gift of the latest government contracting news and notes.  And best of all, it’s free!

In this week’s edition of SmallGovCon Week In Review, the government appears to have hit its 23% small business goal for the third year running, a contractor will fork over $1 million to settle DOT DBE fraud claims, new data suggests that agencies are cutting back on lowest-price, technically acceptable contracts, and much more.

• While it’s still not official, the SBA is saying that the government has met its 23% small business goal for the third year running. [The Business Journals]
• The new Acquisition Gateway is now open for use by interested members of the public and allows agencies to comparison shop. [Government Executive]
• The proposed new whistleblower rule could have unforeseen pitfalls, like bid protests and employee lawsuits. [Crain’s Detroit Business]
• A New York contractor and supplier will pay $1 million to settle claims that they defrauded the federal disadvantaged business enterprise program. [ConstructionDIVE]
• Sometimes everything that can go wrong actually goes wrong. A $1 billion contract to move service members’ vehicles around the world is one example of just that. [Federal News Radio]
• Lowest-price, technically acceptable (LPTA) contracts aren’t going away – but data does suggest Federal agencies are cutting back on the practice. [GovTech Works]
• One commentator’s take: it isn’t the FAR that’s the problem, it’s that people don’t read it. [Bloomberg Government]