Tag Archives: SmallGovCon Week in Review

SmallGovCon Week In Review August 12, 2019 – August 16, 2019

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It’s back to school week here in Lawrence. Kind of like parents doing a back to school shopping spree, the federal government’s spending calendar is also seeing more activity. The fourth quarter of the government’s fiscal year regularly sees a big spike in government spending.

Here is a roundup of some interesting happenings in government contracting world, including the draft STARS III IT solicitation for small businesses and new IRS procurement methods.

  • GSA announces STARS III IT contract for small businesses. [fedscoop]
  • Wilbraham business owner agrees to pay $1.3 million to federal government to settle false-claims case. [Masslive]
  • DOJ not joining whistleblower’s False Claims Act case against companies with Navy contracts. [legalnewsline]
  • IRS tries agile acquisition for data tools. [FCW]
  • Department of Defense develops plan to correct contracting practices. [HomelandPrepNews]
  • New tool to help contractors comply with federal workplace discrimination rules. [federalnewsnetwork]
  • Guilty pleas in government contract furniture bid scheme. [woodworkingnetwork]
  • Labor Unveils New Resources to Boost Contractor Hiring Compliance. [NextGov]

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SmallGovCon Week In Review August 5, 2019 – August 9, 2019

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Thanks to my colleagues for handling Week in Review duties last week. After a week spent camping in the mountains of Colorado, I returned rested and with a newfound respect for bears, moose, and other wildlife.

Please enjoy this week’s roundup of federal government contracting news. There are some interesting stories in here about new IT contracting initiatives from GSA schedules, NASA, and the IRS; an increase in federal tech contracts; and DOD acquisition reform.

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SmallGovCon Week In Review July 29, 2019 – August 2, 2019

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Can you believe it’s already August? Pretty soon, kids will be heading back to school . . . and agencies will begin their fiscal year-end buying spree. In the meantime, we hope you’re enjoying some summer serenity.
Let’s ease into the weekend with the SmallGovCon Week In Review.

In this week’s edition, we’ll explore the government’s growing contracting spend, the government’s planned move away from SAM.gov, an IT procurement fraud ring, and more.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 15 – 19, 2019

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We’ve been getting a lot of the dreaded “Excessive Heat Warnings” this week. If you’re in the same boat, please stay cool out there. An alternative to going outside could be staying in the air conditioning and reading up on some interesting government contracting news.

This week in federal government contracting news, please check out noteworthy updates on cyber provisions in the NDAA, securing the supply chain, and possible changes to Buy-American rules for steel, as well as many other stories.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 1 – 12, 2019

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I hope you all enjoyed your Fourth of July and celebrated the things you love about our country. My in-laws live outside the city limits, so around these parts the Fourth also means shooting off fireworks (in a safe manner of course).

Because of the holiday, we’re offering you a rare double feature of news about government contracting–2 weeks in 1! So sit back and enjoy.

Some of the interesting news this week includes updates on an alleged email scheme involving a phony contracting officer, NIST draft guideline for developing artificial intelligence technical standards, and contractor supply chain liabilities.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 24 – 28, 2019

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Lately, my kids have been asking me to “do the honors” when they ask me to do something. At first, I thought this was a cute and very polite way to ask for something. Then I realized they were going to use it for everything. Will you do the honor of getting me some water? Will you do the honor of starting a show for us? It started to get kind of old and make me feel not so honorable. But their intention was good.

So, with that inspiration, will you do the honor of reading this week’s round-up of government contracting news? Interesting stories abound, including some about new cyber security guidance, the safety records of military construction contractors, and the use of “best-in-class” contracts.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 17 – 21, 2019

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As government contracts attorneys, we find even the mundane aspects of federal contracting law (for example, CAGE codes) pretty interesting and important. But a recent FBI warning detailed in one of the stories from this weeks reminds us all that government contractors are crucial to the safety and well-being of the nation.

As reported in the story, the FBI has warned contractors “about foreign intelligence services using social media accounts to target and recruit employees with US government clearance.” The FBI warns that “US adversary intelligence officers are using popular US-based social media platforms to identify, recruit, and conduct operations against USG clearance holders, to include private sector employees or contractors supporting the USG.” This is a good reminder of the high stakes involved in working for the government.

Read on for this story and other interesting government contracting news, such as updates on a bill for back pay for contractors during the government shutdown, making cyber security an allowable cost, and a hack that exposed thousands of license plate numbers.

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