New Year’s Resolution: Comply with Small Business Subcontracting Plan
Presented by: Jon Williams and Sonia Pesantes, Aronson LLC
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SBA Considers Public Comments on Proposed Size Standard Increases to NAICS Codes 562910 and 541519
As we previously reported, on September 10, 2014, the SBA released proposed increases to the small business standards for many industries that use employee-based size standards. The final rule is scheduled to be published on January 26, 2016; however, a pre-publication of the final rule is available now at www.federalregister.gov . According to the pre-publication, the SBA will adopt most of the proposed changes with two key exceptions. The SBA is not increasing the Environmental Remediation Services (“ERS”) exception under . . . Read More
It’s Subcontracting Plan Review Season. Are You Prepared?
After subcontracting plan reports are due in October, SBA starts sending out letters to the firms selected for a compliance review. These letters start going out late in the year, with the compliance reviews scheduled for early in the new year. That means we are in the heart of subcontracting plan review season. Are you ready? Much like preparing for a winter storm, advance planning is critical to make it through a subcontracting compliance review. Don’t wait for the letter . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for January 22, 2016
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Payment of Subcontractors SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Final Rule Adopted for Uniform Administrative Requirements and More This week’s report follows, click here if you would like to download a copy . GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Payment of Subcontractors DOD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement the section of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 that requires contractors to notify the contracting officer, in writing, if the contractor pays a reduced price to a small business subcontractor, or if the contractor’s payment to a small business . . . Read More
The House Small Business Committee Releases a Spate of Small Business Legislation
On the heels of a GAO report calling for more leadership attention to be paid to SBA’s “management challenges,” a number of bills have been referred to the House Small Business Committee since the new year started, calling for more SBA reform and oversight. The following is a summary of the more significant bills introduced, signaling what the House has in store for the small business government contracting community in 2016: H.R. 4340, “Small Business Contracting and Acquisition Programs Efficiency . . . Read More
Employer Beware: Be Prepared for New Labor Regulations Coming in 2016
By Corey Argust This article is the first installment in a three-part series from PilieroMazza on the major labor law issues confronting employers in 2016 and how employers can effectively surmount those challenges. The Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) is quite possibly the labor law that employers grapple with more than any other. The regulations can be murky at best when actually applied and the price tag for running afoul of the regulations is staggering. Aside from the ever-vigilant and . . . Read More
Exercise Caution When Submitting Proposals Through FedConnect
By Julia Di Vito Several government agencies, including the Department of Energy (“DOE”), utilize a web portal called FedConnect to receive bid proposals. While these agencies surely intended that using FedConnect would make the procurement process easier, the FedConnect systems appears to have caused several issues for contractors. Since 2012, the GAO has heard at least three bid protests regarding DOE procurements that involved with issues submitting proposals through FedConnect. The GAO decisions in these cases are particularly instructive for . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for January 8, 2016
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS 2016 Adverse Effect Wage Rates Removal of Requirement to File Direct-Pay Fee Agreements With the Office of the General Counsel Network Penetration Reporting and Contracting for Cloud Services Federal Acquisition Regulation; Sole Source Contracts for Women-Owned Small Businesses Trade Agreements Thresholds Federal Acquisition Regulation; Definition of ‘‘Multiple-Award Contract’’ Defense Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Multiyear Contract Requirements SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Community Advantage Pilot Program Interest Rates This week’s report follows, click here if you would like to download a copy . GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS 2016 Adverse Effect Wage Rates Effective December 22, 2015, the . . . Read More
Comments on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Proposed Rule to Amend the VA’s VOSB Verification Program
Includes comments on: Section 74.1, Definitions Section 74.2, Eligibility Requirements for VetBiz Vendor Information Pages (“VIP”) Verification Program Section 74.3, Unconditional Ownership Section 74.4, Control Section 74.5, Affiliation Section 74.14, Reapplication for Program Admission
DoD, GSA, and NASA Issue Interim Rule on WOSB Sole Source Authority
By Megan Connor Effective December 31, 2015, DoD, GSA, and NASA have issued an interim rule amending the FAR to implement regulatory changes made by the SBA that provide for EDWOSB/WOSB sole source authority. Implementation of these sole source procedures in the FAR ensures that contracting officers now have the tools necessary to maximize federal procurement opportunities for WOSB concerns through sole source contract awards. In general, an award under the WOSB program may be pursued on a sole source . . . Read More