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

The Weekly Update for August 24, 2018

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS Federal Acquisition Regulation; Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors The Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and NASA are adopting as final, without change, an interim rule amending the FAR to implement the Executive Order, Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors. The interim rule also implemented a final rule issued by the Department of Labor. 83 Fed. Reg. 163, 42569 . Federal Acquisition Regulation: Non-Retaliation for Disclosure of Compensation Information The DoD, GSA, and NASA adopted as final, without . . . Read More

The Weekly Update for August 17, 2018

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Size Regulations: Correction SBA revised the entry for NAICS code 336999 under Subsector 336 with the addition of “All Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing” under the NAICS’ U.S. industry title and “1,000” under Size Standards for number of employees. 83 Fed. Reg 159, 40660 . GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation; Federal Supply Schedule, Order-Level Materials; Technical Amendment GSA is amending the General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation to clarify the text regarding the application of the threshold for order-level . . . Read More

The Weekly Update for August, 3, 2018

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Surety Bond Guarantee Program Fees This document announces a temporary decrease in the guarantee fees that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) charges all Surety companies and Principals on each guaranteed bond (other than a bid bond) issued in SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee Program. 83 Fed. Reg. 146, 36658 Contracting with Small Disadvantaged Businesses and Those Owned by Minorities and Women Has Increased in Recent Years According to an article on GAO.gov , the federal government is one of the country’s largest advertisers, . . . Read More

The Weekly Update for July 20, 2018

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 504 Loan Program Rural Initiative: Waiver of Limitation on Lending Authority According to an article in amazonaws.com , the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the 504 Loan Program Rural Initiative Pilot Program (504 Rural Pilot). The 504 Rural Pilot waives the restrictions on the authority of Certified Development Companies (CDCs) to make 504 loans outside their Area of Operations to allow each CDC to make loans for 504 Projects with an address located in any rural county . . . Read More

The Weekly Update for July 13, 2018

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT To Streamline Acquisitions, 809 Panel Presses Department of Defense to Adopt Portfolio Management According to an article on federalnewsradio.com , the congressionally-mandated panel in charge of finding ways to streamline the Defense acquisition system called on June 28, 2018 for dramatic changes in how DoD organizes itself to define requirements for weapons systems and manage its procurement budgets, saying DoD must move to a “portfolio-centric” approach to procuring military equipment. In the second volume of its report to Congress, . . . Read More