The shutdown dominated government contracts headlines this week, and rightfully so.

This week’s SmallGovCon Week In Review features plenty of shutdown coverage, including several pieces focusing on small businesses.  But the week’s government contracts news and commentary also included a welcome drop in wait times for VA SDVOSB applications, Guy Timberlake’s insights on government spending through procurement vehicles versus standalone contracts, and more.

• In a press release, the VA CVE says that average wait times for processing applications have plummeted to under 60 days.  [VA OSDBU]
• Guy Timberlake of the American Small Business Coalition offers insight on government spending through procurement vehicles versus standalone contracts.  [ASBC]
  
• No surprise: the Air Force warns contractors to expect delayed acquisition decisions.  [Federal News Radio]
• With GAO bid protests suspended during the shutdown, what happens to automatic stays?  No one knows.  [Fierce Government]
• The Court of Federal Claims remains open and is hearing bid protests during the shutdown.  [Federal Computer Week]
• Small businesses will feel the burden of the government shutdown, according to a Federal News Radio piece.  [Federal News Radio]
• One small government contractor discusses the impact of the shutdown on her business.  [Washington Post]
• Another small contractor speaks about the “major hurt” his company is already experiencing.  [Washington Business Journal]
• The DoD will continue to award some contracts–but won’t announce them until later.  [Defense News]