Happy Halloween, SmallGovCon readers! My kids are definitely excited about Halloween, even though the trick or treating will be a little different than in years past.

But there is more to be excited about. Next week is National Veteran Owned Small Business Week. Check out SBA’s events and resources for more information, and join us in celebrating the many veteran-owned small businesses around the country.

This week saw a number of important stories, ranging from an idea for a new set-aside category for federal contracts, an update on SBA’s lending in 2020, and a number of enforcement actions involving federal contracting fraud. Read on for more updates.

We’ve made it through another week–well done! I wanted to give a shoutout to the University of Texas San Antonio PTAC. Steven Koprince and I enjoyed discussing some legal updates with them earlier this week.

This week, we also explored some key changes from the recent SBA rule on Consolidation of Mentor-Protégé Programs. These included changes regarding replacing the three-in-two joint venture rule, consideration of subcontractor experience, joint venture Facility Security Clearance, and joint venture limitations on subcontracting.

But there were a lot of other federal contracting stories this week, including CMMC questions from industry, a micropurchase update on orders, and a public official pleading guilty to acceptance of gratuities.

The cold weather we’ve been getting this week might signal the end of the summer tomatoes and basil. But we can start looking forward to fall in earnest. For one thing, my kids are getting excited about Halloween. I hope SmallGovCon readers also have much to be excited about in the beginning of the federal fiscal year.

To stay on top of what’s going on in federal contracting, remember to check out our upcoming legal update on October 22, but you can also read on for developments including expiring HUBZone flexibilities, brand name or equal rules, and a report on COVID-19 related loan fraud.

Happy Friday blog readers! Hope you are having a nice week. Kick back and relax with the latest federal contracting updates.

This week saw some important federal contracting updates. SBA has proposed increasing its size standards for certain industries, among them agriculture, mining, some construction industries, as well as transportation and finance and insurance. Additional stories include a contracting officer sentenced for accepting bribes and GSA working on a new small business IT contract. Read on for the details.

We’ve been having some great fall weather here in Kansas this week. From what I’ve heard from others around the country (other than the west coast), the cooler weather has definitely arrived. As you break out your sweaters and pumpkin spice . . . everything, check out the latest government contracting updates.

This week’s news included record spending at the end of the fiscal year, a report on the VA’s Medical-Surgical Prime Vendor Program, and updates on the Chinese telecom ban.

Next week, I’ll be speaking on small business federal contracting issues at for the AFCEA South Florida chapter. But if you can’t catch that talk, there’s a lot of federal contracting news to catch up on this week. Read on below.

Stories from the past week include the White House release of an executive order that may have some effect on federal contractors. The executive order requires a clause in federal contracts prohibiting federal contractors from using “workplace training that inculcates in its employees any form of race or sex stereotyping or any form of race or sex scapegoating.”

‘[R]ace or sex stereotyping’ means ascribing character traits, values, moral and ethical codes, privileges, status, or beliefs to a race or sex, or to an individual because of his or her race or sex, and the term ‘race or sex scapegoating’ means assigning fault, blame, or bias to a race or sex, or to members of a race or sex because of their race or sex.” Contractors should be aware of this new requirement, but we’ll have to see how it plays out in practice.

Read on for other interesting stories.

On Monday, the calendar officially moves to fall. Hopefully you have plans to enjoy the last weekend of Summer 2020, whether it’s at the beach, the lake, or just firing up the backyard grill.

Before the weekend begins, it’s time as always for our Friday rundown of the latest and greatest (or not-so-greatest) in federal government contracting. In this week’s edition, an Oregon man gets jail time for his role in a DoD fraud scheme, two members of the CMMC Advisory Board are unexpectedly out, the Air Force makes a long-term commitment to telework, and much more.