SmallGovCon
Small business federal contracting commentary.
SBA Proposed Rule: Joint Venture Past Performance
How agencies evaluate past performance of joint ventures has been a somewhat confusing topic for federal contractors over the past few years. We’ve written about many of the key aspects of the evolution of this rule on SmallGovCon, from the earlier final rule to recent decisions
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 29, 2024
News Flash: SBA Issues Proposed Rule with HUBZone and Small Business Changes
The SBA has issued a new proposed rule addressing both the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program and other small business updates. It is titled: “HUBZone Program Updates and Clarifications, and Clarifications to Other Small Business Programs.” In this post, w
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 23, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 19-23, 2024
Hello and happy Friday! Here, in Lawrence, Kansas, the kids have started school and the college students are busy moving in and preparing to start classes. It always feels like such a big shift in the energy with all the excitement and the many back to school events taking place.
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 23, 2024
Webinar Event: Joint Ventures A Powerful Small Business Tool hosted by the Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship, August 28, 2024
The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship is hosting this helpful, virtual workshop on August 28 at 10:00am CDT. Joint ventures can be a powerful tool for companies to jointly compete for proposals and combine the best of their capabilities to perform their awards. This
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 21, 2024
Some Assembly Required: GAO Addresses how Agencies Should Approach Trade Agreements Act Compliance
The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) (along with its cousin, the Buy American Act) is one of the more complex acts to deal with in federal government contracting. We have taken a look at the TAA before, noting that it does not apply to small business set-asides and discussing how it ap
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 20, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 12-16, 2024
Happy Friday, blog readers, and welcome to the week in review. Recent legislative and agency initiatives are shaping the landscape for federal contracting, cybersecurity, and support for veterans and small businesses, this week. A bipartisan Senate bill seeks to mandate cybersecu
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 16, 2024
SBA: Ostensible Subcontractor Affiliation Arises from Improper Limitations on Subcontracting in Proposal
The SBA ostensible subcontractor affiliation rule has long confused contractors and their attorneys alike because its standards were not very clear. It was based on whether, in a small business contract, a subcontractor performs the “primary and vital requirements of a contract”
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 16, 2024
SBA Getting Strict on MPA Language
One of the most popular programs in small business federal contracting seems to be the SBA’s Mentor-Protege Program. It is generally a great program for small businesses to utilize the resources and knowledge of a larger or more experienced business to grow. In turn, it also give
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 15, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 5-9, 2024
Happy Friday, All. Please enjoy our latest week in review in order to stay on top of federal contracting news. Some interesting stories include Senate efforts to enhance oversight of Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements and address delays in Major Acquisition Programs (MT
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 9, 2024
GAO Reminder: Don’t Delay, Submit Your Proposal Today
Submitting a proposal in the correct manner and on time are two of the most elemental aspects of any response to a solicitation. After all, if you don’t submit the proposal, there is zero chance that the agency will review your proposal. Unfortunately, every so often there are hi
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 8, 2024
Common Misconceptions: SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program (Part II – Participation Rules & Limits)
The SBA’s Small Business Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) is arguably one of the federal government’s most successful undertakings when it comes to supporting our nation’s small business policies, economy, and contracting goals. It fosters the development of small business protégés,
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 6, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 29-Aug. 2, 2024
Happy Friday! In today’s week in review blog post, we have included some of the most significant recent developments that are shaping the landscape. From reforms in the Department of Defense’s budgeting process to new Small Business Administration (SBA) lender fees and innovative
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 2, 2024
Supreme Court Weighs in on Deference to Agencies: What the End of Chevron Deference Means for Federal Contractors
On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, 144 S. Ct. 2244 (2024). It was a pretty notable news story as the case overturned the 1984 case of Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, ending what has been called “Chevron d
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 1, 2024
GAO Reminder: Joint Ventures Must Register on SAM
SAM.gov is like the home base of federal government contracting. Everything in federal government contracting seems to either start there, or require using SAM in some fashion. As a consequence, contractors are expected to register on SAM to work in federal contracting. However,
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 31, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 22-26, 2024
Happy Friday! This week saw several large contract awards that reflect the federal government’s ongoing efforts to modernize its technology infrastructure, enhance defense capabilities, and improve emergency services and IT support across various agencies. In other news, SBA will
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 26, 2024
Ostensibly OK: SBA Decision on Ostensible Subcontractor Rule Gives Contractors Some Clear Guidelines
In a recent post, we looked at the implications of BA OHA’s reasoning in In & Out Valet Co&navigationPath=Search%2Fv1%2Fresults%2Fnavigation%2Fi0a89dfcc0000019056cf26f0e1f14268%3Fppcid%3D14257d15cca1446799feb143ad218f1a%26Nav%3DADMINDECISIONPUBLICVIEW%26fragmentIdentifier%3DI9af0
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 25, 2024
Federal Circuit Decision: Slightly Opens Protest Door to Non-Offerors
Lately, we’ve seen a boom in protests being brought to the United States Court of Federal Claims (COFC) in lieu of protests brought at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). And it appears that the recent decision in Percipient.AI, Inc. v. United States, 2023-1970 (June 7, 2
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 23, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 15-19, 2024
Happy Friday! July sure is flying by! We’ve been very busy here at SmallGovCon with all that is happening in the federal government contracting world. We have included an extensive list of informative articles for this week in review. At the top of our week in review articles, Sm
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 19, 2024
Common Misconceptions: SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program (Part I)
The SBA’s Small Business Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) is arguably one of the federal government’s most successful undertakings when it comes to supporting our nation’s small business policies, economy, and contracting goals. It fosters the development of small business protégés,
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 19, 2024
He never saw himself as disadvantaged. Then the government had him write an essay. -Julian Mark (Washington Post)
I am incredible honored by the shout-out I received in this recent, powerful Washington Post article, by the talented Julian Mark. Mark also wrote the prior article including my statements about the 8(a) Program litigation and changes that took place last summer, which you can re
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 18, 2024
VOSB Program Possibly Expanding? Congress Takes Next Step Towards VOSB Expansion
The Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) Program has long held a sort of unheralded position in SBA and federal contracting. Unlike its much more expansive counterpart, the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Program, the VOSB Program only allows for set asides
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 18, 2024
SBA Certify Portal Applications to be Paused
If you have ever looked into socio-economic certifications through the SBA or “set-asides” as some call them, you undoubtedly have run into SBA’s certify portal. It certainly is a big part of the small business federal contracting landscape, with likely massive numbers of site vi
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 12, 2024
SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 8-12, 2024
Hello readers and happy Friday! We hope you had a nice 4th of July and were able to spend some time with friends and family. This week’s round-up of federal government news, includes some cautionary tales on why defrauding the government is a very bad idea, the impact of the Boei
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 12, 2024
Happy Independence Day from SmallGovCon!
We at SmallGovCon wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy and safe Independence Day! It’s always a great time to celebrate our nation and be with family and friends. But it’s also a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who came before us and those who have ser
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 3, 2024
GSA Report: Be Truthful about Small Business Certifications
The federal small business representation system relies in some part on self-certification and in some part on review by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and protests by competitors. The System for Award Management (SAM) is one key part of the federal procurement apparatus
Koprince Law LLC · Jul 2, 2024