SBA Awards $1.1 Million to Support Native American-Owned Small Businesses
Isabella Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced on December 15, 2021, that SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs awarded $1.1 million in grants and contracts to seven entities which will provide business development services, management, and technical assistance to Native American-owned small businesses across the country. This monetary investment is a step in the right direction to help native-owned, small-business government contractors gain access to contracting opportunities. Ms. Guzman stated that “[n]ative-owned small businesses are vital to our shared economic . . . Read More
NITAAC Makes Major Changes to CIO-SP4 RFP
The National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) issued yet another round of significant changes to the Chief Information Officer-Solutions and Partners 4 (CIO-SP4) Request for Proposals (RFP) under Amendment 12 to the RFP. These changes, explained below, will impact offerors in mentor-protégé arrangements and may require them to submit a proposal revision. Mentors: Experience Examples Mentors in mentor-protégé arrangements, regardless of their size, may now only submit two experience examples for each task area. Prior . . . Read More
Navigating Nondisplacement Rule Reboot for Government Contracts, Nichole Atallah for Law360
In her Law360 article “Navigating Nondisplacement Rule Reboot For Government Contracts,” Nichole Atallah , Chair of PilieroMazza ‘s Labor & Employment Group , examines President Biden’s executive order bringing back to life provisions of the 2009 Executive Order No. 13495 on the nondisplacement of qualified workers under service contracts. Visit this link to view the full article.
PilieroMazza’s Jon Williams Joins SECAF Board of Directors
Jon to Help Guide SECAF and Small Business Members on Legal Fundamentals of Government Procurement December 13, 2021 – Falls Church, VA: PilieroMazza , a business law firm serving the needs of government contractors and commercial businesses, is pleased to announce the addition of Jon Williams to the Board of Directors for the Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF). Mitchell Ross, SECAF Chairman of the Board of Directors, commented: “Jon [. . .] ha[s] the experience and dedication to help guide our small and emerging member firms as . . . Read More
OMB Releases Guidance to Advance Equity for Underserved Small Businesses in Federal Procurement
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released guidance on December 2, 2021, implementing Executive Order 13985, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government” (EO). The EO directs agencies to readily make available federal contracting opportunities to all eligible vendors and to remove barriers preventing underserved individuals and communities from entering into procurement opportunities. Additionally, President Biden has set a goal to increase the share of contracts awarded to small, disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) to 15% by 2025. . . . Read More
Government Shutdowns for Federal Contractors: Mitigating Damages and Managing Your Workforce
Once again, the specter of a government shutdown looms over the federal contracting community. The House just passed a continuing resolution that would extend federal funding through February 18, 2022, and avoid a government shutdown on December 3, 2021. However, it is unclear whether it will be passed by the Senate due to objections over federal vaccine and testing mandate funding. As a result, there is a possibility that the continuing resolution will not pass the Senate by the December . . . Read More
SBA Proposes to Change Two Key Size Standard Calculations
The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently issued a proposed rule that would change two size standard calculations. First, SBA is proposing to use a 24-month period, as opposed to the current 12-month period, for calculating employees under employee-based size standards. Second, the proposed rule would allow companies in SBA loan programs to utilize a 5-year average or a 3-year average when calculating average annual receipts (AAR). Comments on these proposals are due by December 2, 2021. Below are key details regarding SBA’s . . . Read More
GSA Polaris and the New SCRM Requirements: Supply Chain Risk May Put Your Proposal at Risk
With the release of GSA Polaris around the corner, one looming issue remains: Contractors may lose out on an award or, perhaps worse, they may find themselves without access to task orders after granted a Polaris award due to the increasingly stringent requirements of Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). In this blog, Isaias “Cy” Alba , a partner in PilieroMazza ’s Government Contracts Group , and John Cofrancesco, VP of Government Security Solutions at Fortress, reveal what government contractors should know now about SCRM requirements before putting . . . Read More
Biden Administration Revives Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts
On November 18, 2021, the Biden Administration announced an executive order (EO) bringing back to life what was formerly EO 13495, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts. The EO establishes that where a federal government contract subject to the Service Contract Act expires and a follow-on contract is awarded for the same or similar services at the same location, a successor contractor must grant a right of first refusal to the predecessor contractor’s employees (other than management and supervisory employees) before . . . Read More
New Infrastructure Bill and Its Impact on Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in the Construction Industry
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( the Bill )—which makes a portion of its $1.2 trillion available for surface transportation projects—currently awaits signature from President Biden and will have significant impacts for construction contractors participating in the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) Program. The Bill addresses aid to federal highways, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programs. DOT’s DBE Program permits states to set up DBE programs, in compliance with DOT standards, that promote . . . Read More