Tag Archives: SDVOSB

Event Announcement: GovCon Roundup Live, July 15, 1:00pm EDT, Expanding VOSB and SDVOSB Opportunities & Navigating the SBA Certification Minefield

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Please join me on the GovCon Roundup Live, with Carroll Bernard and Steven Koprince to discuss several important developments affecting veteran-owned small businesses in federal contracting, including

  • The bipartisan Contract Our Veterans Act of 2026.
  • Critical compliance issue for veteran-owned businesses pursuing VA set-asides: the frequently overlooked limitations on subcontracting certification requirement under VAAR 852.219-75.
  • Why SBA’s strict “unconditional control” rules make certification extremely difficult for franchises
  • Why a veteran must be listed as the company’s highest officer, such as CEO, in the governing documents
  • What “fatal flaws” can undermine an appeal after a certification denial

Here are the details:

  • Wednesday, July 15, 2026
  • 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern
  • Free to attend

Here is the link for registration.

Timing is Everything: The Key to Timely SDVOSB Status Protests

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When filing a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVOSB) status protest, timing is critical. A single missed deadline may be the difference between a successful protest and a protest that is never heard. Missing established filing deadlines can result in your protest being dismissed, regardless of how compelling your arguments are. The Small Business Administration (SBA) will enforce these timing rules strictly. In particular, can a contractor ask the agency to simply investigate a company for SDVOSB compliance? And does such a request need to meet the timing requirements? A recent OHA decision answers these questions.

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GovCon FAQs: Should I Apply Simultaneously for All SBA Statuses I’m Eligible For?

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In September 2024, following a temporary application and system pause, SBA switched over to a new, streamlined and unified application portal. Now, applications for the SBA’s 8(a) Program, HUBZone Program, Veteran-Owned Programs, and Woman-Owned Programs all go through MySBACertifications.Gov. Unlike prior portals and procedures, through this one, those eligible have the option to apply for multiple SBA small business contracting programs simultaneously. But the question is, what are the potential risks and benefits of doing so?

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Back to Basics: The Government’s SBIR Program

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There are many federal contracting opportunities specifically designed to support and benefit small businesses. Most people are already familiar with small business set-aside competitions and direct awards, SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program, and SBA’s socioeconomic small business contracting programs (i.e., the SDVOSB/VOSB, WOSB/EDWOSB, HUBZone, and 8(a) Programs). But there is still another–albeit less well-known–government contracting program that offers significant benefits to small businesses, particularly those in field of research-and-development (R&D). Indeed, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program provides federal funding to small business for their R&D endeavors, helping them grow promising technological innovations into full-fledged revenue cornerstones for small businesses and major contributors to government efficiency and progress.

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The “Once 8(a), Always 8(a)–or HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB” Rule, Where Are We Now?

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For better or for worse, these federal procurement “times they are a-changin’.” One obvious source of recent change is the shiny new FAR 2.0, a.k.a. the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO). With the government’s widespread implementation of the RFO and its many procurement rule and procedure updates, we at SmallGovCon have tried to cover as much as possible. But we’re talking about an essential rewrite of the decades-longstanding procurement playbook here. So unsurprisingly, there’s still a lot to go. One recent change well-worth some deeper discussion is the RFO’s updated “Once 8(a), Always 8(a)” Rule–which I’ve aptly deemed the “Once 8(a), Always 8(a)–or HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB” Rule. As the SBA’s “Once 8(a), Always 8(a)” Rule remains unchanged, this RFO update has the potential for significant impacts on small business federal contracting, as well as some implementation conflicts–or confusion at the least.

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Back to Basics: SDVOSB Program Eligibility

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Recently, SBA’s VetCert Program announced that it had gotten through its backlog, meaning that the system has returned to normal, so to speak. With this in mind, many new service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) no doubt are looking at getting into the SDVOSB program. Indeed, some of you reading this may be the owners of some of those businesses. Considering that we just looked at an SDVOSB appeal regarding the control requirements for an SDVOSB, today, we’re going to go further and provide a general rundown of the SDVOSB Program to update our past post on this topic.

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OHA SDVOSB Appeal: Voting Provisions Scuttle Veteran Control

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In a recent decision, SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) emphasized the importance of a careful reading and complete understanding of the control and ownership requirements for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs). This decision provides contractors with an excellent opportunity to brush up on SBA’s control rules regarding qualifying and non-qualifying owners. As the appellant found out in this case, while it may seem to some at first glance that simple majority ownership by the service-disabled veteran is enough to meet SDVOSB requirements, voting provisions matter as well. Failure to keep in mind all aspects of SDVOSB requirements could lead to a denial of SDVOSB status. Let’s take a look at the language of the regulation in question, and how this case illustrates the potential consequences of overlooking a critical item in an otherwise-compliant application for SDVOSB certification. 

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