SmallGovCon
Small business federal contracting commentary.
Govology Webinar Event: Communicating with Government Contracting Officials: What Can (and Should) Contractors Really Say and Do? October 20, 2022, 1:00pm EDT
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, Nicole Pottroff and I will debunk some of the most common myths and misunderstandings
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 18, 2022
Who You Gonna Call? Your Contracting Officer (Part 2)
In our line of work, we regularly litigate protests, claims, appeals, etc., against the Government. But often, procuring and contracting issues can be resolved without the need for litigation–via a little-known method we like to call “talking things out with your CO.” There are a
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 17, 2022
SmallGovCon Week in Review: October 10-14, 2022
Happy Friday, Readers. I don’t know about you, but it feels like fall brings with it a flurry of activity! There are so many community events going on this weekend, it’s hard to decide what to attend. We’re certainly very fortunate to have so many options. I hope you can get out
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 14, 2022
Pay it Forward, or Pay the Price, Says SBA in Proposed Rules for 8(a) Tribal Entities
In a recent notice for Tribal consultation and request for comments, as well as a published proposed rule, the SBA seems to be signaling an increase in oversight of Native or Tribally-owned entities who are 8(a) Participants. SBA has an apparent goal of enforcing more stringent r
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 13, 2022
Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC Names John Holtz New Senior Associate Attorney!
Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, a boutique federal government contracts firm in Lawrence, Kansas, is pleased to announce that John Holtz has has been promoted to the role of Senior Associate Attorney. Since his time with the firm began, John has excelled at providing the highest qu
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 11, 2022
U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Webinar Event: Tuesday, October 25 1:00pm EDT
Please join Jackie Lopez, President of Premier Enterprise Solutions, LLC, and me as we discuss both the operational and legal perspective of teaming strategies, the importance of teaming, limitations of subcontracting, why you should use a teaming agreement and much more in part
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 11, 2022
A Helpful Guide: The VA’s Memorandum on the New Certification System
As many of you likely already know, back in late 2020, Congress made two changes to the SDVOSB program when it passed the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. First, all SDVOSBs will be required to certify with the government starting on January 1, 2023. Second, the responsib
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 7, 2022
SmallGovCon Week in Review: October 3-7, 2022
Happy Friday and happy October, Readers. There were a lot of announcements this week in Federal Government Contracting, including new guidance from the White House for federal agencies to increase the share of government contracting dollars to small, disadvantaged businesses (SDB
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 7, 2022
Congress Reauthorizes SBIR/STTR, Adds a Few Wrinkles
Congress recently approved reauthorization of both the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The law, known as the ‘‘SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022’’, was ratified by the House on September 29 and became law on Octo
Koprince Law LLC · Oct 6, 2022
SmallGovCon Week In Review: September 26-30, 2022
Happy Friday! It’s football season and we couldn’t be more excited about how our Kansas teams are starting the season. This weekend’s match-ups are set to be exciting ones and our fall weather is proving to be perfect for getting out there and cheering on our favorite teams. We h
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 30, 2022
Yes, No, Maybe? Understanding the Reason Behind SBA-Required Mentor-Protégé Agreement Questions
The SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program offers a myriad of benefits to both Mentors and Protégés who participate in the Program. Small business Protégés benefit from the assistance provided by their SBA approved Mentor, which can include anything from guidance on how to find solicitatio
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 29, 2022
Who You Gonna Call? Your Contracting Officer
In our line of work, we regularly litigate protests, appeals, claims, etc., against the Government. But often, procuring and contracting issues can be resolved without the need for litigation–via a little-known method we like to call “talking things out with your CO.” There are a
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 26, 2022
SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 19-23, 2022
Happy Friday, Readers. We have had some contrasting weather conditions here in Kansas, this week. One day we are at 100 degrees and the next day we are in the 60’s. You know what they say in Kansas? If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change. That has ce
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 23, 2022
Back to Basics: Limitations on Subcontracting
One of the common questions small business contractors ask themselves when planning performance of a contract is “how much of this work are we allowed to subcontract?” Trying to answer this question inevitably leads contractors to one of the most commonly used and frequently misu
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 21, 2022
Webinar Event: Catalyst Joint Ventures/Legislative Updates Virtual Workshop, Thursday, September 22, 2:00-4:00pm CDT
Please join us for a very informative webinar hosted by The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship. Joint ventures can be a powerful tool for multiple businesses to compete for proposals and combine the best capabilities they have to offer. But how do businesses keep the
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 21, 2022
SBA Proposed Rule Relaxes Change of 8(a) Program Ownership, Allows Limited Populated Joint Ventures
The SBA has issued new proposed rules relating to the 8(a) Program. The rules clarify some aspects of ownership and control requirements for the 8(a) Program, including making change of ownership a little easier and cleaning up some 8(a) set-aside processes. The rule would also a
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 19, 2022
SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 12-16, 2022
Happy Friday, Readers! Our weather here in Kansas has decided it’s not quite ready to be cooler for Fall just yet. You can bet though, when it does, it will decide abruptly. I’m taking my family on a camping trip this weekend to extend summer just a bit longer. Hope you are able
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 16, 2022
The DoD Mentor-Protégé Program’s New Look: Expanded Protégé Eligibility
Many SBA programs and offerings have their origins in other agencies or parts of the federal government. Contractors who do not work with the DoD might be surprised to learn that the DoD’s own Mentor-Protégé Program is in fact the oldest continuously operating mentor-protégé prog
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 14, 2022
Govology Webinar Event: Top 21 Legal Mistakes in Government Contracting, September 15, 2022, 1:00pm EDT
Government contracting law is complex, and the rules aren’t always intuitive. As a result, many contractors make the same legal mistakes, involving everything from completing SAM profiles to calculating small business size to communicating with government contracting officers. In
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 13, 2022
SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 5-9, 2022
Happy Friday, SmallGovCon Readers. The sunflower, which is the state flower or Kansas, are in full bloom. They have been spectacular this season! Sunflowers exhibit a trait called heliotropism, which means that they turn to face the sun. The tallest sunflower ever recorded was 30
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 9, 2022
Open to Interpretation? Don’t Guess if Your Joint Venture Agreement Plays by the Rules
A recent SBA decision showcased the strict manner in which SBA interprets its joint venture agreement rules. After an agency awarded a contract to a joint venture entity, SBA determined the joint venture was ineligible due to fairly small deficiencies in a joint venture agreement
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 9, 2022
SDVOSB Owner Avoids Brewing Up Trouble with a Second Job
In a recent SBA decision, SBA’s judges had the opportunity to review three different simultaneous challenges to whether a service-disabled veteran controlled a SDVOSB. Because there were three different challenges reviewed at once, SBA took a deep dive into the SDVOSB certificati
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 7, 2022
SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 29- September 2, 2022
Happy Labor Day weekend, Readers. Monday is a federal holiday so I’m sure everyone is looking forward to an enjoyable, long weekend and perhaps a parade. It turns out that the first Labor Day parade was in New York City on September 5, 1882 when, according to the US Department of
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 2, 2022
Federal Court Confirms Strict SDVOSB Unconditional Ownership Requirements
As we’ve discussed, the SBA will soon take the reins over from VA to run the certification process for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) and Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs). Self-certification for SDVOSBs will go away on December 31, 2023, so be su
Koprince Law LLC · Sep 1, 2022
New GovCon Handbook Arriving Soon! Joint Ventures–Updated Edition
We are pleased to announce that, back by popular demand, our updated Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC GovCon Handbook, on Joint Ventures, is coming soon! This handbook–complete with all of the SBA’s important changes from the past couple years–was co-authored by me and Nicole Pottrof
Koprince Law LLC · Aug 31, 2022