SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 27- July 1, 2022

Happy Fourth of July, Readers! We hope you have a fun and relaxing holiday weekend planned. Here are 3 fun facts about Independence Day:

  1. The Declaration of Independence Was Written on a Laptop. Not a modern laptop, but still. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on a writing desk that could fit over one’s lap. This device was referred to at the time as a “laptop.”
  2. There is Something Written on the Back of the Declaration of Independence. According to the History Channel, a simple message is written upside-down across the bottom of the signed document that reads, “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.”
  3.  The Designer of the 50-Star Flag Lived in Lancaster, Ohio. In 1958, a history teacher asked students to redesign the national flag as both Alaska and Hawaii neared statehood. Robert G. Heft, who was 16 at the time, designed a new flag using the old 48-star flag and spent $2.87 on materials. His design earned him a B-minus to which he challenged by sending it to Washington D.C. to be considered by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

While you are enjoying the weekend, we have provided a few noteworthy articles pertaining to federal government contracting for your reading consideration, including Polaris timing update, category management struggles for small businesses, and predictions for the 2023 NDAA. Enjoy your 4th!

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Small Business Committee Raises Concerns to SBA About Certification Speed, Category Management

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee held a hearing to discuss how the SBA will meet Small Business Contracting goals, and specifically how the SBA can meet its goals related to socioeconomic programs. The committee challenged the Office of Government Contracting & Business Development to show how they will help grow participation in SBA’s small business development programs, and small business participation in federal contracting as a whole. The Small Business Committee raised questions related to inflation, increasing socio-economic program participation, and SBA technology updates.

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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 16-20, 2022

Happy Friday, Readers! We’ve been as busy as bees this week here at SmallGovCon. We hope you have had a productive week, as well. The flowers are blooming, the crops are growing and the grass is greening up nicely here in Kansas. Here are a few articles on the happenings in federal government contracting this week. Have a great weekend!

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: April 25-29, 2022

Happy Friday, Readers! It’s time for another addition of the Week in Review. This week saw a lot of interesting updates, including lots of programs for small business owners, a little news on CMMC, and some new initiatives to help contractors navigate the federal marketplace.

Catch up on all the latest, and enjoy the 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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