Carter Merkle, our colleague from  Oklahoma’s PTAC, shares the following Pre-award tips provided at a briefing by Tinker Air Force Base. Taking these to heart can help you avoid some of the most common mistakes made by small business vendors – …

The Small Business Administration (SBA) released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) on Friday, December 18, 2015, which would change the certification process for the Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program.  Public comments on SBA’s new rules are due not later …

The Department of Veterans Affairs and Congress are working to make it easier for veterans to take advantage of a special veterans-focused contracting program while also protecting it from abuse.  The VA released proposed amendments to its Veteran-Owned Small Business …

In the Nov. 18, 2015 edition of the Federal Register, there’s a proposal to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to re-designate the terminology for unique identification of entities receiving Federal awards. The change to the FAR would remove the proprietary standard …

As a Federal contractor, you already know that the FAR requires you to retain certain project records (books, documents, etc.) for audit and inspection purposes – typically for a period of at least three years after final payment.  But did …

The SBA is moving toward implementing its proposed “universal” mentor-protege program for all small businesses.  According to testimony presented by the SBA’s Associate Administrator for Government Contracting Business Development at a recent Congressional hearing, the SBA has put together a …

Effective  November 1, 2015, the Army will shut down Army Single Face to Industry (ASFI). Vendors may find opportunities for contracting on the Federal Business Opportunity (FBO) portal. Vendors are encouraged to pay close attention to instructions outlined in each solicitation and …

The start of new federal fiscal year 2016 brings statutory inflation adjustments to federal acquisition thresholds, including: the micro-purchase base threshold of $3,000 increases to $3,500; the simplified acquisition threshold of $150,000 remains unchanged; the FedBizOpps preaward and post-award notices …

For contracting with service-disabled veterans, two federal agencies stand out from the pack: the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments. TOP 20 U.S. government agencies for SDVOSB contractingFY2014 DOD $7.0 billion VA $3.6 billion DHS $824 million DOJ $229 million HHS …

This October, the U.S. will take a major step to mitigate fraud and improve our financial security by migrating away from outdated credit and debit cards that transmit sensitive customer data using magnetic stripes. In 2015, it should not surprise us …

On September 14th, the Small Business Administration (SBA) published their final rule allowing sole source awards to Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) or Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs) in certain circumstances, implementing a provision in the FY15 National Defense Authorization …

Summary: We applaud new legislation that’s helping startups scale up production in the United States. The story of American manufacturing is one of grit and resilience. But it’s also the result of investments across the public and private sectors in …

President Obama has drafted an President Obama has drafted an Executive Order (E.O.) that would force any company that contracts with the federal government to issue paid leave to employees who are sick, are seeking medical attention or need to …

The number of federal agency Sources Sought Notices for small businesses appears to have increased dramatically in recent years. Sources Sought notices for small businesses referenced on the Federal Business Opportunities website FBO.gov rose to 2,610 in fiscal 2014, more …

Federal contractors are getting ready for the fourth-quarter spending spree, a new tradition in government acquisition which has seen significant spikes in contracting in the last quarter of the year. Ten years ago, agencies tended to spend most of their budgets in …

The DOT&PF has recently added a Plan Holders Self-Registration List (PHSRL) for RFP projects on the ADOT&PF Procurement and Contracting page.  This new PHSRL allows all firms including DBEs to register as interested in participating on an RFP. A guide that …

Like most small business owners who don’t think of July as an important tax time, you may not be thinking about taxes right now, but you should be. Here are four things to do now to help achieve a good …

The Alaska Product Preference (APP), AS 36.30.332 and 3AAC 92.010 is one of the State of Alaska preferences applied to in-state bids on State contracts, or proposals in response to a request for proposal. Under the State’s procurement code,the Alaska …

Here are factors you can expect local authorities to evaluate when considering eligibility for award, as excerpted from a current Invitation To Bid (ITB): The City intends to award a contract to the responsible and responsive bidder submitting the lowest …

If you are a woman who owns a small business and have been thinking about certification for the federal Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) set-aside program, now is the time to take action. Proposed changes by the federal Small Business Administration …