The Weekly Update for December 28, 2018
COMMENTS SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION’S PROPOSED RULE ON THE HUBZONE PROGRAM, RIN 3245-AG38 On December 27, 2018, PilieroMazza submitted comments to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s proposed rule regarding changes to the HUBZone Program. The proposed rule outlines a comprehensive overhaul to the program’s current eligibility and compliance requirements. GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING A Nextgov article discussed the potentially significant impacts the government shutdown may have on government contractors, especially small businesses. The article recommended that contractors have preparations in . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for December 21, 2018
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING According to a Bloomberg Government article, more than 30,000 federal contracting opportunities at twenty-eight (28) agencies are coming up for competition in the coming fiscal years. In a webinar, Bloomberg Government identified the top opportunities at nineteen (19) selected agencies, identified 27,751 opportunities at seventeen (17) civilian agencies, and identified 3,281 opportunities at eleven (11) defense agencies. Importantly, however, each agency reports acquisition forecast details differently; some agencies provide more details than others. President Trump signed the Small . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for December 14, 2018
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING A former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Facility Chief pleaded guilty to receiving illegal gratuities. Steven Eric Kremer, a former Chief of the Range and Mission Management Office at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) pleaded guilty to receiving gratuities in exchange for official acts performed in his capacity as a government official as well as stealing funds from a government contract. As Chief of the Range and Mission Management Office, Mr. Kremer administered the Range Operations Contract (ROC)—a multi-year . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for December 7, 2018
RULES AND REGULATIONS Proposed Rules The Small Business Administration (SBA) published a proposed rule amending its regulations and implementing provisions of the NDAAs of 2016 and 2017 as well as the Recovery Improvements for Small Entities After Disaster Act of 2015 (RISE Act). The proposed rule would (1) clarify that contracting officers have the authority to request information in connection with a contractor’s compliance with applicable limitations on subcontracting clauses; (2) provide exclusions for purposes of compliance with the limitations . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for December 3, 2018
RULES AND REGULATIONS The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a proposed rule on November 29, 2018 proposing to amend and update its VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) in phased increments to revise or remove any policy superseded by changes in the FAR. It will also remove procedural guidance that is internal to the VA, move it to the VA Acquisition Manual, and incorporate new agency-specific regulations or policies. The proposed rule would also add VAAR coverage concerning Environment, Energy and . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for November 16, 2018
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT Performance-Based Payments and Progress Payments (DFARS Case 2017-D019) The Department of Defense (DOD) is withdrawing the proposed rule on performance-based payments and progress payments that it published on August 24, 2018. 83 Fed. Reg. 193, 50052 . Commercial Items Omnibus Clause for Acquisitions Using the Standard Procurement System The DOD issued a class deviation , which rescinds and supersedes Class Deviation 2013-00019. Effective immediately, when using the Standard Procurement System (SPS) to contract for commercial items, all DOD contracting activities may deviate from the requirements . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for October 22, 2018
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT Class Deviation-Commercial Items Omnibus Clause for Acquisitions Using the Standard Procurement System According to an article on acq.osd.mil , this class deviation rescinds and supersedes Class Deviation 2013-00019. Effective immediately, when using the Standard Procurement System (SPS) to contract for commercial items, all Department of Defense (DOD) contracting activities may deviate from the requirements at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 12.301 (b)( 4) and the clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders- . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for October 1, 2018
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT Federal Acquisition Regulation: Evaluation Factors for Multiple-Award Contracts The Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement a section of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. Section 825 of the NDAA for FY 2017 amends 10 U.S.C. 2305(a)(3) to modify the requirement to consider cost or price as an evaluation factor for the award for . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for September 21, 2018
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION House Small Business Committee Calls for a Status Update on FAR Revision of Limitations on Subcontracting. Last week, House Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot and Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez sent a letter to the acting administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy requesting a status update of Federal Acquisition Regulation Case Number 2016-011, titled “Revision of Limitations on Subcontracting. Section 1651 of Public Law 112-239, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (2013 . . . Read More
The Weekly Update for September 7, 2018
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Boosting small business demands big ideas According to an article in dcma.mil , there are 28 million small businesses in America, and Defense Contract Management Agency’s small business team wants as many of them as possible to join the defense industrial base. “Our mission is to provide small business support to our defense and government customers by ensuring subcontracting compliance and optimizing subcontracting opportunities,” said Tatia Evelyn-Bellamy, the director of DCMA’s Small Business Office and Small Business Compliance . . . Read More