SmallGovCon Week In Review: January 29 – February 2, 2018

Posted on by

I’m back in the office from my great trip to Nashville for the 2018 National 8(a) Association Small Business Conference. This weekend, I’m looking forward to watching the Super Bowl and cheering on the Eagles (or rather, with apologies to our New England-based clients, cheering against the Patriots).

Before we prepare for hours of football and outlandish commercials, let’s recap what went on this week in the world of government contracting. This week, we take a look at why it’s a good time to be a federal contractor, why RFIs may be a waste of time and money, a financial fraud case involving a scheme to falsely secure more than $13.8 million in SDVOSB contracts, and much more.

  • PV Puvvada, president of Unisys Federal, sat down with Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller and discussed why it’s a good time to be a federal contractor [Federal News Radio]
  • A proposed rule by the SBA will provide one definition of ownership and control for VOSBs and SDVOSBs, which will apply to the VA in its verification and Vets First Contracting Program procurements, and all other government acquisitions which require self-certification. [Federal Register] (and see my take here).
  • RFIs may be a waste of time, money, and resources, especially for small businesses. [FCW] (And see Guy Timberlake’s classic “RF-Why” column from a few years ago).
  • Over the years some have questioned whether GSA Schedule prices are fair and reasonable, and such concerns have let to the GSA launching efforts, such as Transactional Data Reporting and horizontal pricing analysis. [Federal News Radio]
  • Here’s an interesting trivia question for all you acquisition lovers in the government: How many rules did the FAR Council finalize during the first year of the Trump administration? [Federal News Radio]
  • There have been several initiatives undertaken across the government space focused on moving the federal procurement process onto commercial e-commerce portals. [Federal News Radio]
  • SDVOSB fraud: the former owners of a construction company have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a “rent-a-vet” scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $13.8 million in federal contracts. [U.S. Department of Justice]

Questions about this post? Or need help with a government contracting legal issue? Email us or give us a call at 785-200-8919.

Looking for the latest government contracting legal news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.