SmallGovCon
Small business federal contracting commentary.
35th Annual Judicial Conference – U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington DC
I will be presenting at the 35th Annual Judicial Conference in Washington, D.C., on October 23. This prestigious event gathers legal professionals, judges, and scholars from across the country to discuss the latest developments in the judiciary and legal system. It’s definitely a
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 16, 2024
Agency Discretion Recertified: GAO Affirms Agency Discretion to Request Size Recertification for Task Orders
When it comes to meeting the size standards, the normal rule for a set-aside contract is simple: If you’re small at the time you submitted your initial offer for the contract, you’re small for the life of the contract. So says 13 C.F.R. § 121.404–although this could be changing i
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 16, 2024
New Podcast out now with Govcon Giants
Check out my podcast recording with Eric Coffie of Govcon Giants. In this podcast, we talk about about key strategies that can help small businesses succeed. From the importance of understanding the Small Business Administration (SBA) rules to forming effective joint ventures and
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 16, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: October 7-11, 2024
Hello, SmallGovCon readers. Our thoughts go out to those effected by the hurricane, this week. We hope you are safe. Some articles we’ve highlighted this week include current trends in the GovCon market and DoD considering a faster acquisition pathway for AI. You can read more ab
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 11, 2024
Are Mentor-Protégé Joint Ventures Just Too Successful, Asks SBA
SBA recently issued a proposed rule purportedly concerning the HUBZone Program and its regulations–but actually, covering a bevy of other discussions and proposed changes relating to size, SBA’s other small business socioeconomic programs, and even teaming. Specifically, regardin
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 9, 2024
Back to Basics: Small Business Sole Source Awards
One of the perks of being certified in any of the SBA’s small business socioeconomic contracting programs is the fact that there is potential for a sole source award. What is a sole source award? Well, it’s a non-competitive award used when there is no expectation that two or mor
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 8, 2024
Govology Webinar: October 10, 2024 – Communicating with Government Contracting Officials: What Can (and Should) Contractors Really Say and Do? (2024 Update)
When it comes to effective communication, the government and industry often get it wrong. Misconceptions and misunderstandings abound and can prove very costly for contractors. In this webinar, government contracts attorneys Nicole Pottroff and John Holtz debunk some of the most
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 7, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: Sept. 30-Oct. 4, 2024
Happy Friday and happy October! Please enjoy the Week in Review and read up on some recent updates across government contracting. Some highlights include GSA starting the COMET II contracting process, and new guidelines on AI tool procurement for federal agencies. You can read mo
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 4, 2024
GAO: Small Business Rule of Two Must be based on Accurate Market Research
The small business rule of two requires agencies to restrict procurements for small businesses when there is a “a reasonable expectation of obtaining offers from two or more responsible small business concerns that are competitive in terms of fair market prices, quality, and deli
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 3, 2024
Conference Announcement: ICBS Show, Oklahoma City, October 7-9, 2024
The Indian Country Business Summit (ICBS) is hosting its annual “Diversity in Government Contracting” ICBSSHOW in Oklahoma City this month. And our very own Gregory Weber will be attending and presenting on federal contracting legal updates. Legal updates is always a great presen
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 1, 2024
Annie Birney Joins Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC as Associate Attorney and SmallGovCon Contributor!
We are excited to announce that Annie Birney has joined the firm and will also be a regular SmallGovCon contributor! She is a recent graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law. You can read her full biography here. Annie was very accomplished during her law school days, i
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 30, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 23-27, 2024
Happy Friday and happy fall! We hope you had a productive week and are looking forward to the weekend. The federal government contractors have been quite busy wrapping things up at the end of this fiscal year and preparing for a new one to begin. We hope everything is “falling” i
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 27, 2024
SBA Proposed Rule: New Size and Status Recertification Standard
In a proposed rule in August of 2024, SBA has unveiled a brand new regulation related specifically to recertification of size and status. A frequent question of federal contractors is whether they can continue to be small, or maintain a specific socio-economic status (i.e., WOSB,
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 27, 2024
Predictions: Upcoming Rules on Conflicts of Interest
Back in 2023, we wrote about Congress’s late-2022 mandate to update and clarify various rules surrounding organizational conflicts of interest (or OCIs). At that time, Congress, in a short piece of legislation, asked that OCI rules be updated to address a number of areas. In this
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 26, 2024
OHA Reminder: Don’t ignore Program Examination Questions from SBA . . . or Else
Most of SBA’s socioeconomic programs (woman-owned small business, veteran-owned small business, HUBZone) have a requirement for the contractor to go through a recertification process, or program examination, every three years. 8(a) Participants have an annual review process, so t
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 25, 2024
Webinar Event! October 1, 2024 – Limitations on Subcontracting and the Nonmanufacturing Rule hosted by Texas El Paso APEX Accelerators
For small businesses and their teammates, few topics in government contracting are as confusing as the limitations on subcontracting for set-aside and socioeconomic sole source contracts. And if that isn’t stressful enough, the “LoS” is an area with heavy potential penalties if a
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 23, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 16-20, 2024
Happy Friday! There has been a flurry of activity here at SmallGovCon, as the government’s fiscal year is ending this month. In the evolving landscape of federal contracting, one needs to stay on top of recent developments. Here are some key ones. The U.S. Small Business Administ
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 20, 2024
Rezoning (Part 2): Updates to the HUBZone Program
Very recently, we went through some more of the potential changes to the HUBZone Program from SBA’s proposed rule from August 23, 2024. In this post, we will look at the remaining proposed changes. SBA’s proposed rule would change HUBZone protests appeals, principal office requir
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 17, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 9-13, 2024
Happy Friday the 13th! We hope you have a good week. This week has been busy in the federal government contracting world with multiple developments highlighting key areas of government procurement, spending transparency, and small business support. There are updates on a new fede
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 13, 2024
Rezoning (Part 1): A Look at SBA’s Proposed Changes to the HUBZone Program
A few weeks ago, SBA released a proposed rule that would, among other things, modify the HUBZone program. We took a look at some of these changes when the proposals were released. As we promised in that post, we stated we were going to discuss some other aspects of the proposed r
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 13, 2024
SBA Proposed Rule Clarifies Mentor-Protégé Misunderstandings
In August, the Small Business Administration issued a proposed rule that was packed to the brim with changes to many of the SBA’s small business contracting programs. We’ve mentioned a few of the changes in prior blog posts. Gregory Weber, discussed potential changes to the SBA’s
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 11, 2024
Govology Webinar: September 19, 2024 – The Buy Indian Act: Regulatory Updates and Their Implications for Tribal-Owned Businesses
The Buy Indian Act is a law that gives contracting preference to companies owned by Native American tribes. This law has been on the books for a century and it seems to be finally getting some teeth through regulatory changes and updates. This webinar, presented by myself and Nic
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 10, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 2-6, 2024
It’s Friday and it’s time for our week in review. We hope you had a wonderful Labor Day and were able to enjoy some time with friends and family. Now it is time to transition into fall and football season which we are very excited about here at SmallGovCon! We hope you have a gre
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 6, 2024
SBA Proposed Rule: SBA Plans to Relax 8(a) Program Restrictions
The SBA recently dropped a large proposed rule that it grouped mainly under the HUBZone program, but actually touches on almost every SBA socioeconomic certification. So, it should come as no surprise that the SBA’s 8(a) Program is facing some potential changes based on this prop
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 5, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 26-30, 2024
Happy Friday! In this week in review, we have included some noteworthy articles including the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) proposed rule with significant updates to the HUBZone program and other SBA rules. We dive into this proposal here. Other updates include the Defens
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 30, 2024