SmallGovCon Week In Review: October 23-27, 2017

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After a 30-degree shift in temperatures here in Lawrence overnight, I think it is safe to say fall has officially arrived. The kids and I will be adding some extra layers while we go trick-or-treating on Tuesday evening.

Candy is on the agenda next week, but today’s treat is the latest SmallGovCon Week in Review. In this edition, the SBA will soon issue a proposed rule to implement a mandatory WOSB certification, a provision in the NDAA would shorten the GAO’s time frame for resolving DoD protests, a business owner will spend 20 months in prison for GSA Schedule fraud, and much more.

  • Bye-bye, WOSB self-certification: the SBA says it is 30-60 days away from issuing a proposed rule to implement mandatory WOSB certification. [Federal News Radio]
  • A provision in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act would force the GAO to resolve Defense Department related bid protests within 65 days instead of the current 100 day time frame, but could this plan backfire? [Nextgov]
  • A business owner will spend 20 months in prison and pay more than $1 million in restitution as part of a plea deal in a GSA Schedule fraud case. [United States Department Of Justice]
  • Have you worked with your PTAC yet?  If you’re not aware of the free resources that PTAC counselors provide for government contractors, this video provides a great overview. [YouTube]
  • Federal Times takes a look at three ways to help subcontractors receive their share of a winning bid. [Federal Times]
  • Category management “shrinks the playing field of [small business] competitors that are out there,” according to a top SBA official.[Federal Times]
  • A Florida man is facing federal bribery and wire fraud charges in connection with a kickback conspiracy for federal defense contracts. [News4JAX]
  • The slow nature of Department of Defense acquisition makes it difficult to keep up with cybersecurity defense. [Federal News Radio]
  • The GAO put the brakes on a $238 million contract for the Census Bureau’s 2020 mobility operations, sustaining a bid protest filed by AT&T. [fedscoop]
  • The SBA Inspector General says that agencies shouldn’t be able to claim 8(a) and HUBZone credit for firms that have left those programs. [SBA Office of Inspector General]
  • The GSA is looking for a new way to classify contractors and grant and loan recipients. Is Dun & Bradstreet on its way out? [fedscoop]
  • A massive $2.4 billion classified NSA contract is under protest by one of the losing bidders. [Nextgov]
  • A coalition of moderate House Democrats wants to expand a governmentwide security certification process for cloud computing to all types of government information technology. [Nextgov]