For Federal Supply Schedule procurements, agencies are not required to evaluate past performance references of subcontractors, unless the solicitation provides otherwise.  As one offeror recently discovered in Atlantic Systems Group, Inc., B-413901 (Jan. 9, 2017), unlike negotiated procurements, where agencies …

The departments of Education, State and the Army are among those with the most documented bids for contracts expiring in 2017, providing industry with actionable insight on just how competitive the procurement process will be. This and other facets of …

The government’s policy encouraging prompt payment to small business subcontractors has been extended to December 31, 2017. In a Memorandum issued on January 11, 2017 by the Office of Management and Budget, OMB Director Shaun Donovan ordered that the popular policy be …

House Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot hailed House passage of H.R. 288, the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act. This legislation exempts small businesses from burdensome new Internet regulations imposed by President Obama’s Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) for five years. …

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement regulatory changes made by the Small Business Administration, which provide Government-wide policy for partial set-asides and reserves, and setting aside orders for small business concerns …

Ever have doubts about the pricing you submit on a contract opportunity?  Here are a few items to consider when you’re building your price. The more you know the mindset of who you’re dealing with on the other end, the …

The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental thinks it’s learned a thing or two about rapid acquisition over the year since its initial standup, and sees no good reason why the rest of the Defense Department can’t use the same techniques it’s …

As of November 1st, SBA’s certify.sba.gov portal is operational and accepting applications for the new Small Business Mentor-Protégé program. If you are considering its potential value for your business, there are a few key things you should consider before submitting your …

The vast majority of Alaska is certifiable–as HUBZone eligible. So why aren’t more Alaska businesses doing business with the federal government HUBZone certified? It’s a good question, one the US Forest Service, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies …

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) Council (the Department of Defense (“DoD”), General Services Administration (“GSA”), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”)), recently finalized a rule that imposes significant restrictions on federal agencies in contracting with corporations that have federal …

Did you miss the historical releasing of the first ever iBook version of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)? While a tome about the complex rules governing the federal government’s purchasing process may not sound like a bestseller, the FAR is essential reading not …

GSA has alerted us that, following their quarterly release on October 28th, they will block users from accessing SAM from an Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) or Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) browser. Users will either need to upgrade to a version …

On Friday, September 9, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (“D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals”) held that the statute creating the Small Business Administration’s “8(a) Program” is not unconstitutional.  Nevertheless, in addition to being appealed, the …

Politicians have talked about diversifying Alaska’s economy since long before we became a state. But progress on that front has been only modest. Is a stable and vibrant Alaska economy possible? It will take some changes in the way we …

On September 20, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor published a notice of the minimum wage rate to be paid, beginning January 1, 2017, to workers performing on or in connection with federal contracts covered by Executive Order (E.O.) 13658, …

Not every RFP or contract opportunity requires a go/no-go analysis. Is it a good idea to go ahead with a project that’s underfunded and outside of your business expertise? Of course not! When pursuing government projects, you need to weigh …

  Nancy Porzio has been selected as the new District Director for the SBA Alaska District Office. Nancy is one of the most experienced district directors in the country; and, an ideal fit for this position for three reasons: (1) her …

You’ve likely heard it before or maybe you’ve even said it yourself: “Go ahead and get started, we’ll get you a change order later.” The only thing is, “later” never happens, and after you’ve finished performing the work you find …

Different management teams running your affiliates? Could be a situation where the left-hand doesn’t know what the right-hand is doing, and it could impact your firm’s contracting success. Under new SBA rules there’s a risk that an affiliate’s M&A deal …

The Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) is announcing its final decisions for adoption of NAICS revisions for 2017 as recommended by the Economic Classification Policy Committee (“ECPC”) in Part IV of OMB’s notice for solicitation of comments published in …