DoD FAR Deviation Addresses 8(a) Social Disadvantage Changes

It’s no secret that the 8(a) federal government contracting world has been in a bit of an upheaval this summer. When the Eastern District of Tennessee published its decision for the Ultima Services Corporation case, small business federal contractors everywhere began scrambling to keep up to date on how various agencies would react. We here at SmallGovCon have been keeping up to date on the developments as they happen. This time, we have more information on how the Ultima Services Corporation case will affect procurements with the Department of Defense, thanks to a new class deviation effective August 24, 2023.

Continue reading

OHA: Ill-Defined Joint Venture Agreement and State Law Requirements Means JV was Invalid

As readers of SmallGovCon know, SBA interprets its small business joint venture rules very strictly. A small business joint venture must follow all of SBA’s requirements down to the letter, or risk being found noncompliant. In a recent case, SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) examined how a joint venture was managed under the state law of Michigan and found that the joint venture was noncompliant with small business rules.

Continue reading

Webinar Event: Teaming and Partnering Strategies – with Koprince McCall Pottroff, August 23, 2022

Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC will be presenting a webinar hosted by Nebraska Business Development Center, Teaming and Partnering Strategies  will be on August 23 at 10:00am CDT.

In this webinar, government contracts attorneys Nicole Pottroff and John Holtz will break down the types of teaming agreements available for federal government contractors.  If you are interested in learning more about teaming strategies and the pros/cons and best practices associated with each type, you won’t want to miss out on this webinar.

If you’d like to join us for this webinar you can sign up for registration here.

8(a) Joint Venture Fraud Allegations Lead to False Claims Act Settlement

The SBA’s joint venture rules can be strict. Mistakes like failing to update a joint venture agreement, inserting ambiguous provisions in a joint venture agreement, or relying on an expired mentor-protege agreement can be costly.

Good faith mistakes are one thing–the joint venture may lose out on a contract, but probably won’t face other penalties. But when the government believes that a contractor knowingly violated the joint venture rules, the repercussions can be much more serious–as seen in a recent False Claims Act settlement involving allegations of fraud under the 8(a) joint venture regulations.

Continue reading

Koprince Law LLC’s New 8(a) Program GovCon Handbook is Live!

Well folks, the wait is finally over! The Second Edition of our popular GovCon Handbook on the SBA’s 8(a) Program is live, and it’s available here. In this revised, updated, and expanded Handbook, Steven Koprince and I give you the run-down on all things 8(a) (and as always, we do so in plain English).

Whether you are considering applying to the 8(a) Program, in the midst of the application process, already years into your 8(a) Program term, or a recent graduate/non-8(a) entity hoping to team with an 8(a) company one of these days–this book is for you. It covers everything under the 8(a) sun, including:

Continue reading

Coming Next Week: Koprince Law LLC’s New 8(a) Program GovCon Handbook!

The 8(a) Program is tremendously powerful and can be a springboard to massive success in the government contracts marketplace. But the many (many!) rules surrounding the 8(a) Program are complex, and even savvy 8(a) contractors–not to mention first-time applicants–easily can become confused.

I am pleased to announce that next week, Koprince Law LLC will publish a Second Edition of our popular GovCon Handbook on the 8(a) Program. In this revised, updated and expanded Handbook, my colleague Nicole Pottroff and I will cover the 8(a) Program’s rules in detail, including:

Continue reading

Event: SBA Training Webinar on 8(a) Joint Ventures

8(a) joint ventures are a powerful tool–both for non-8(a)s to participate in 8(a) contract opportunities and for 8(a) companies to gain valuable experience in their industries. But it is crucial that 8(a) joint ventures follow all of SBA’s requirements if they want to get (and keep) 8(a) awards.

Some of those requirements underwent significant revisions this past year. Join Shane McCall and me on February 9 for the SBA Training Webinar: 8(a) Joint Ventures, where we will discuss the ins and outs of 8(a) joint ventures and keep you up-to-date on all of SBA’s requirements.

Please register here. Hope to see you there!