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 …

The new Limitation on Subcontracting (LOS) rules became effective on June 30, 2016.  As is usually the case in the realm of small business contracting, there will be a lag time until the FAR “catches up” with the new SBA …

The HUBZone program will see significant changes to its rules as a result of major SBA changes set to take effect in late August.  These changes apply generally to two aspects of the HUBZone program: that relating to the SBA’s …

The WOSB Repository has moved from the General Login System (GLS) to the new SBA One Contracting Portal at certify.sba.gov.  SBA has posted PowerPoint presentations to assist you with the WOSB/EDWOSB self-certification process. In this new portal, WOSB business owners will …

In a unanimous opinion overturning the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must consider whether two veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) can perform a proposed contract before …

The federal acquisition councils have published a final rule aimed at reducing situations in which federal prime contractors name small business subcontractors in their bids, but then do not follow through in hiring those subcontractors when the contract is won. …

In its June newsletter PilieroMazza, a law firm specializing in government contracting, noted “hard data and anecdotal evidence indicate that, to reach its full potential, the HUBZone Program needs to be simpler and more business friendly.” Two bills are working …

Two bills are working their way through the legislative process to make a significant change to the HUBZone program. Sen. David Vitter (R-La), chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, has introduced legislation that extends HUBZone redesignation status from three …