Tag Archives: SBA size standards

ITVAR Nonmanufacturer Subject To 150-Employee Size Standard, Court Says

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An offeror submitting a proposal under a solicitation designated with the Information Technology Value Added Resellers exception to NAICS code 541519 must qualify as a small business under a 150-employee size standard–even if the offeror is a nonmanufacturer.

In a recent decision, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims held that an ITVAR nonmanufacturer cannot qualify as small based solely on the ordinary 500-employee size standard under the nonmanufacturer rule, but instead must also qualify as small under the much smaller size standard associated with the ITVAR NAICS code exception.

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SBA Proposed Rule Will Allow SBA OHA Size Standard Appeals

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The SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals will have authority to hear petitions for reconsideration of SBA size standards under a proposed rule recently issued by the SBA.

Once the proposal becomes a final rule, anyone “adversely affected” by a new, revised or modified size standard would have 30 days to ask OHA to review the SBA’s size standard determination.

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Successful NAICS Code Appeal Dramatically Alters Size Standard

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NAICS code appeals, while little known, can be an extraordinarily powerful tool when it comes to affecting the competitive landscape of government acquisitions.

Case in point: in a recent NAICS code appeal decision issued by the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals, the appellant prevailed–and obtained an order requiring the contracting officer to change the solicitation’s size standard from 500 employees to $15 million.

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Limitations On Subcontracting: Important New SBA Rule Takes Effect June 30, 2016

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The SBA has issued a final rule implementing the changes to the limitations on subcontracting enacted by Congress in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act.

The SBA’s final rule takes effect June 30, 2016–and will significantly change the way the limitations on subcontracting are calculated and enforced moving forward.

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SBA OHA Reaffirms 70% Threshold For Economic Dependence Affiliation

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Under the SBA’s affiliation rules, one of the many ways a small business can be deemed affiliated with another is through the economic dependence rule: where a small business derives 70% or more of its revenues from another entity, the SBA ordinarily considers it to be economically dependent upon—and thus subject to the control of—that other entity.

So it was in a recent decision from the SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (“OHA”), which confirmed the so-called “70% rule” for economic dependence.

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SmallGovCon Week In Review: January 25-28, 2016

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It is hard to believe that Tuesday is Groundhog Day already. As we all wait in anticipation for him to emerge from his burrow, and hopefully not see his shadow, we offer you some reading material to help make your wait more enjoyable.

This final January 2016 edition of SmallGovCon Week In Review brings you a look at the Lockheed Martin/Leidos merger, a cautionary tale about the dangers of violating federal prevailing wage laws, new principles behind the VA’s procurement strategies, and much more.

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No Wholesaler NAICS Codes For Set-Aside Contracts, SBA OHA Confirms

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Federal agencies must classify procurements for supplies under the appropriate manufacturing or supply NAICS code, not under a wholesale trade or retail trade NAICS code.

In a recent NAICS code appeal decision, the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals confirmed that supply procurements should not be classified under wholesale or retail trade NAICS codes–and rejected a prospective offeror’s claim that the agency should have assigned a wholesale trade NAICS code to the solicitation.

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