Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) is the new Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, taking over the role from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Shaheen was instrumental in achieving a number of small business contracting reforms while …

Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan says cybersecurity should be a top priority for contractors, noting it’s “one of those things that should be uncompromising.”  Shanahan added, “We want the bar to be so high that it becomes a condition of …

The answer is: the FAR Council issued one final rule for the entire year.  It was the decision to reverse a previous FAR rule to implement the fair pay and safe workplace executive order. Besides that, dozens of other proposed …

Bid Express Electronic Bidding is coming to Alaska DOT&PF for all large procurement construction contracts advertised after May 14, 2018. February 1st Update includes: ■ Alaska DOT&PF AASHTOWare Vendor List ■ Announcement of Bid Express Web Training Dates & Times …

Did you self-certify as a Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) when you registered your vendor profile in SAM.GOV, and are you indeed an SDB according to the federal government’s definition in 13 CFR 124.1002?

Defense Federal Acquisition Supplement: DFARS 252.204-7012, as revised on Dec. 30, 2015, is the cybersecurity rule issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) titled, “Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting.” The DFARS clause requires all DoD contractors and …

Get ready today to file your 2017 federal income tax return. Changes for the tax filing season include ITINs, delays in refunds and validating your electronically filed return. As tax filing season approaches, the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers there are …

A growing sector in public procurement, reverse auctions lower costs for government agencies through direct competition among auction vendors. Are agencies using GSA reverse auctions? Absolutely! Corps of Engineers Huntsville established a policy that all commodity buys must be evaluated …

Every small business owner needs to be aware of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) ostensible subcontractor rule. In a nutshell, ostensible contractor affiliation occurs when a small business holds a prime contract – but a subcontractor hired for the job actually …

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has issued a solicitation notice for a 10-year, $25 billion, professional services contract known as VECTOR, which will be set aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. According to the Nov. 8 notice: A solicitation …

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is establishing a secure and easy-to-use web-based electronic bid protest filing and dissemination system (EPDS). EPDS will also provide automatic notice of a protest to the agency.  Once it is live, all protesters will be required …

Small business owners are temporarily unable to access new applications for the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program until Nov. 15, the SBA recently announced on one of its Web pages.  his is due to the SBA’s transfer of the …

Government contractors are subject to cybersecurity requirements, and some important deadlines are fast approaching.  An overview of cybersecurity requirements found in the FAR and the Department of Defense (DoD) FAR Supplement (DFARS) follows: FAR The FAR requires government contractors that handle …

As the final push for fiscal year 2017 contract obligations comes to an end, it’s helpful to take a step back and assess the contracting environmental trends that have emerged over the past year. Each trend lends itself to further …

The VA has officially withdrawn its November 2015 proposal to overhaul its SDVOSB and VOSB regulations. The VA’s action isn’t surprising, given that the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act requires the VA to work with the SBA to prepare a consolidated set of SDVOSB …

SBA Administrator Linda McMahon has appointed a task force to evaluate small business regulations and determine which should be repealed, replaced, or modified. Your feedback on SBA regulations will help the agency more effectively promote job creation and the economic …

The Defense Department announced it had raised the micro-purchase threshold to $5,000, up from $3,500, this month, and the new threshold is now in effect.  In addition, the micro-purchase threshold for DOD basic research and science and technology laboratory work …

A contractor’s performance of extra work outside the scope of the contract may go uncompensated if a contractor does not receive appropriate authorization in accordance with the contractual terms. A Court of Federal Claims decision reinforced that a contractor should …