A Slight Deviation: DoD Implements Temporary Verification Requirement while SAM Updates

On a daily basis, the Department of Defense (DoD) issues innumerable memorandums and orders, as one might expect when dealing with one of the largest institutions in human history. Most of these have little to no impact for most government contractors. However, a recent class deviation is an exception, as it should make things easier for the many contractors that use small business joint ventures in contracting with the DoD.

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Back to Basics: Limitations on Subcontracting

One of the common questions small business contractors ask themselves when planning performance of a contract is “how much of this work are we allowed to subcontract?” Trying to answer this question inevitably leads contractors to one of the most commonly used and frequently misunderstood rules in federal contracting, the Limitations on Subcontracting. In this post, we will break down some of the basics of this rule, and hopefully clear up any basic misunderstandings regarding it.

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FAR Council Seeks to Address Climate Change in Federal Contracting

In response to an Executive Order, the FAR Council has recently proposed to amend the FAR in an effort to ensure that major federal procurements will minimize the risk of climate change. And DoD, GSA, and NASA sought the public’s input on the issue. Let’s take a closer look.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: January 10-14, 2022

Greetings, Readers. We hope your 2022 is off to a great start and your new year resolutions haven’t been kicked to the curb, as of yet. We are excited about the Wild Card Playoff game this weekend between our Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s been a wild ride this season but the Chiefs are playing very well and we hope to see them return to another super bowl.

There was a lot of news in federal government contracting, this week and we are excited that our very own, Kevin Wickliffe was quoted in an article about the changes from Indian Health Service that strengthen support for native Americans and Alaskan natives. You can read the full article below as well as other news in federal government contracting.

Have a great weekend and go Chiefs!!!

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: January 3-7, 2022

Happy new year, Readers! After a very mild start to our Winter season we are experiencing frigid temperatures here in the Midwest to start off 2022. As old man winter makes his arrival we are very grateful to live and work in a climate controlled environment. Thank goodness for heat and warm coats!

There was a lot of news in federal government contracting this week, including trends and marketing info in the new year, cyber security and workforce initiative provisions from the recently signed 2022 NDAA, and a FAR clarification on the commercial item definition.

Have a great weekend!

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Picking Your Team: Joint Ventures Versus Prime/Subcontractor Teams (Part Two, Past Performance)

Federal contractors often ask: “Is it better to team up for government work with a prime-sub arrangement or with a joint venture?” Well, (spoiler alert) the answer is: it depends. But I won’t leave you with just that. This three-part series will provide insight on some of the major differences between these two types of “teams” that offerors should consider when making the decision between a joint venture or prime/subcontractor team in competing for and performing federal contracts. While this series will not provide a comprehensive list of all the differences between these two types of teams, it will cover some of the big ones that seem to come up more frequently in this decision-making process. The focus of the first article in this three-part series was work share considerations. This second article will focus on evaluations of a team’s past performance.

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