SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 13-17, 2022

Happy Friday and Happy Juneteenth! This year, June 19, Juneteenth, falls on a Sunday, so the federal holiday, established in 2021, will be observed on Monday, June 20. Juneteenth arose from the date of June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas–when African Americans in the state learned of their freedom due to the Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment. Juneteenth celebrations often focus on education and reflection on the path to freedom as well as the steps still needed to achieve equity in our country.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: May 2-6, 2022

Happy Friday, Readers! The lilacs are blooming and this spring seems to be a particularly good year for them. We are enjoying their sweet scent as we stroll through the neighborhood when we get a dry day to do so. April showers are carrying over into May and we are all ready for some sunshine. Fun Fact: Kansas ranks #8 on the sunniest states list according to stacker.com. See how your state ranks here.

There was news this week on the OBM gearing up to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as well as information on challenges for federal contractors due to wage inflation and the war in Ukraine. You can read more about this and other news in federal government contracting in the articles below.

Have a great weekend!

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SmallGovCon Week in Review, April 18-22, 2022

Happy Friday, Readers! I hope you had a very productive week. It’s hard to believe that we are almost through the month of April already and It won’t be long before the kids are out of school. Parents get ready!!!

The world of federal government contracting just seems to get busier and busier. This week there were several articles on the Pentagon’s budget increasing for AI capabilities and the implementation of Buy American Preference for infrastructure. We’ve also included a few cautionary tales on why it’s a terrible idea for contractors, or anyone else, to try to defraud the federal government. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: April 4-8, 2022

Happy Friday, Readers! Our hometown Kansas Jayhawks won the NCAA National Basketball Championship and it’s an understatement to say that we are very excited about it here in Lawrence, Kansas. Thousands of people took to the streets in downtown Lawrence on Monday night to celebrate the win and the energy was incredible! What a fun ride!

There were several announcements by the SBA this week concerning adding more industries that are eligible for the Women-Owned Business Federal Contract Program as well as expanding the standards to increase eligibility for federal contracting and loan programs. You can read more about that along with other news in the article below. Have a great weekend!

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: March 28-April 1, 2022

Happy April 1st, everyone! In honor of April Fools’ Day, here are some noteworthy pranks over the years. In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. In 1985, Sports Illustrated writer George Plimpton tricked many readers when he ran a made-up article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a fastball over 168 miles per hour. And in 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. 

So be careful out there, readers, and don’t be fooled! But it’s no joke that there have been some important federal contracting updates this week, including a bipartisan bill introduced in Congress that would tighten contractor oversight related to conflicts of interest and increasing use of large sole-source 8(a) awards. Have a great weekend!

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: March 21-25, 2022

Happy Friday, Readers. It’s been an exciting March Madness so far and we are looking forward to our hometown Kansas Jayhawks basketball game later today. There have been some major upsets and we are hoping the Jayhawks can hang in there on the road to the championship. Fingers and toes are crossed.

This week in federal contracting there were several announcements such as the Senate passing a 2022 Federal spending bill and the Department of Labor Announcing a Proposed Rule for Modifying Procedures to Identify, Remedy Discrimination in Federal Contracting. You can read more about these announcements and a few other noteworthy articles below. Have a great weekend!

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: March 7-11, 2022

If March is supposed to come in like a lion and leave like a lamb, we are certainly still in the lion stage this week, with another winter snow storm that arrived here yesterday. No worries, however, because next week the lamb arrives with 70 degree weather and we are ready for it. Hopefully, this will be winter’s last gasp as warmer temperatures are sure to follow and we spring forward into daylight savings time.

There was a lot happening in federal government contracting news this week, such as the new Buy American Act final rule and updates on more cybersecurity requirements being considered for government agencies. We have included those and some additional articles that we hope you will find informative.

Have a great weekend!

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