The Weekly Update for October 14, 2016

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Implementing Category Management for Common Goods and Services The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (“OFPP”) in the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) has proposed the issuance of a new OMB Circular, Implementing Category Management for Common Goods and Services, to codify category management, a strategic practice where Federal contracting for common goods and services is managed by categories of spending across the Government and supported by teams of experts.  The Circular establishes key principles, and strategies and . . . Read More

Take Note of This Law Regarding Small Business Offerors Under Multiple Award Contracts

By Julia Di Vito The National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) for Fiscal Year 2016, which went into effect on November 25, 2015, contains some requirements regarding multiple award contracts that you might not know about. The 2016 NDAA amended part of the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. § 644(q), which governs the award of contracts by the Federal Government. This statute, as amended, now requires that for any multiple award contract above the “substantial bundling threshold of the Federal agency,” the agency . . . Read More

Expiration of GAO’s Jurisdiction of Civilian Agency Task Order Protests Limits Government Contractor Options

As of October 1, the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (“GAO”) jurisdiction over protests on civilian agency task orders valued at more than $10 million expired, leaving government contractors with limited grounds for protesting such task order awards.  In 1994, the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (“FASA”) was enacted in response to concerns that the federal procurement process was too cumbersome and complicated. One of the FASA reforms included a limitation on contractors’ ability to protest the issuance of task order awards, . . . Read More

The Weekly Update for October 7, 2016

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Prohibition on Contracting With Corporations with Delinquent Taxes or a Felony Conviction Updating Federal Contractor Reporting of Veterans’ Employment Non-Retaliation for Disclosure of Compensation Information  Sole Source Contracts for Women-Owned Small Businesses Consolidation and Bundling  Amendment Relating to Multi-Year Contract Authority for Acquisition of Property  Contractors Performing Private Security Functions  Section of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 Implemented Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-91 Small Entity Compliance Guide Department of Defense’s (“DOD”) Defense Industrial Base (“DIB”) Cybersecurity (“CS”) Activities  SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Early Stage Business . . . Read More

More Work Needed to Improve the HUBZone Program

The HUBZone Program needs some TLC. After a peak of 14,000 SBA-certified participants in 2009, the HUBZone Program has seen a significant drop in participation over the past few years due to various factors. This, in turn, has led to a marked downturn in federal spending on HUBZone firms, while other set-aside categories have consistently met or exceeded the federal spending goals. In a 2015 report, GAO recommended ways for SBA to improve HUBZone Program oversight as well as communication . . . Read More

The Weekly Update for September 30, 2016

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Amendments to Department of Defense (“DOD”) Mentor-Protégé Program Temporary Extension of Test Program for Comprehensive Small Business Subcontracting Plans SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Timber Set-Aside Program DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Prohibition on Use of Any Cost-Plus System of Contracting for Military Construction and Military Family Housing Projects Federal Civil Penalties Adjustment Act Amendments  LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Extension of Comment Period for Proposed Revision of Annual Information Return/Reports This week’s report follows,  click here if you would like to download a copy . GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Amendments to Department of Defense (“DOD”) Mentor-Protégé Program DOD has issued a proposed rule which . . . Read More

Employer Potentially Responsible for Employee’s Shooting Rampage

By Corey Argust What Kind of Risk Might Employers Face Because of an Employee’s (Unexpected) Behavior? On September 15, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia allowed claims of negligent supervision and retention to proceed against the government contractors who employed the person responsible for the 2013 mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. DeLorenzo v. HP Enterprise Services, LLC, et al., Case 1:15-cv-00216-RMC (D.D.C. Sept. 15, 2016). In denying motions to dismiss the claims of negligent supervision . . . Read More