SmallGovCon
Small business federal contracting commentary.
Congress Changes the Rules on PPP Loan Forgiveness, but Questions Remain
Newly passed changes to the Paycheck Protection Program are designed to make it easier for small businesses to have their loans forgiven. The Paycheck Protection Program has been around since the end of March and provides funds for small businesses to retain employees and keep op
Koprince Law LLC · Jun 10, 2020
YouTube Tuesday: Calculating the Size of Your Business
In a recent YouTube video, we discussed how the federal government calculates business size. Today’s video provides additional information on how to calculate the size of your business through annual receipts: For more information, check out Volume 2 of the Koprince Law, LLC GovC
Koprince Law LLC · Jun 9, 2020
Required Disclosures to the Government did not Waive Attorney Client Privilege, 4th Circuit Finds
Attorney-client privilege is a cornerstone of the American legal system. It protects conversations between an attorney and their client from disclosure during litigation. The goal of this protection is to allow an attorney to provide the best representation possible by protecting
Koprince Law LLC · Jun 8, 2020
SmallGovCon Week In Review: June 1 – June 5, 2020
Hope everyone is having a nice Friday. For those with questions about teaming arrangements, joint ventures, or the All-Small Mentor Protege Program, be sure to check out an upcoming event: on June 16, my colleague Matthew Schoonover will be presenting on all three at the Iowa PTA
Koprince Law LLC · Jun 5, 2020
The FAR’s Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Clause is Finally Getting the Boot
Federal agencies will be issuing a final rule that will remove the infamous nondisplacement of qualified workers clause from the FAR. The final rule goes into effect June 5, 2020. Let’s take a look. The new rule, issued May 6, 2020, implements Executive Order 13897, “Improving Fe
Koprince Law LLC · Jun 4, 2020
CMMC Update: Details on Certification Infrastructure and COTS Products
The framework for the DOD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) process continues to move forward. Here’s an update on what’s currently happening with the CMMC that includes a few more details the DOD and the independent CMMC Accreditation Body have recently release
Koprince Law LLC · Jun 3, 2020
YouTube Tuesday: WOSB Certification–Changes Coming July 2020
On July 15th, big changes are coming to the SBA’s Women-Owned Small Business program certification process! We’ve discussed the changes in depth here, here, and here, but if you’re looking for the highlight reel, this video is for you: If you have questions about WOSB certificati
Koprince Law LLC · Jun 2, 2020
Regulatory Update: SBA Moves to Clean Up Small Disadvantaged Business Rules
Last month, the SBA moved to edit its regulations, taking a red pen to its current rules governing Small Disadvantaged Businesses (or SDBs), as described in the Federal Register. This blog post will highlight what the new rule will mean for current SDBs—and how businesses can bec
Koprince Law LLC · Jun 1, 2020
SmallGovCon Week In Review: May 25 – May 29, 2020
As we end May and roll into June, rainy weather has descended on the Midwest. But there’s always sunshine around the corner. In our case, around the corner will be this weekend as the Kansas City region is scheduled to have sunny skies. This week saw plenty of interesting stories
Koprince Law LLC · May 29, 2020
Despite Your Interest in a Protest, GAO Might Not Think You’re an “Interested Party”
Let’s suppose that you just received a new solicitation hot off the press. As you peruse it, you find a requirement that you believe is too onerous or unnecessary. So you contemplate filing a GAO protest to challenge that term. Before doing so, be sure that you’re an “interested
Koprince Law LLC · May 28, 2020
GAO Bid Protests: A Wrinkle In Time(liness)
As our regular readers know, a GAO protest challenging an agency’s evaluation decision must be filed within 10 days from the date the protester knew (or should have known) of the protest grounds, or within 10 days from the date the protester receives its debriefing (but only if t
Koprince Law LLC · May 27, 2020
YouTube Tuesday: What is a Small Business?
There’s been a lot of discussion about “small businesses” lately, but there are still many misconceptions about how large “small businesses” can actually be! In this YouTube video, I breakdown how Uncle Sam decides which businesses are small: If you have questions about the size
Koprince Law LLC · May 26, 2020
SmallGovCon Week In Review: May 18 – May 22, 2020
Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend as we remember those who have sacrificed for our country. Memorial Day was first observed in 1868. At that time then Congressman and former general James Garfield remarked of those that had died for our country:
Koprince Law LLC · May 22, 2020
SBA: It’s (Maybe) Fine if You Didn’t Count the Employees of Your Foreign Affiliates for PPP Purposes
In what might be a classic “now you tell me” scenario, the SBA issued a new rule May 21 saying that if an applicant failed to count the employees of its foreign affiliates when it was determining its eligibility, the SBA will not hold that against the applicant so long as the app
Koprince Law LLC · May 22, 2020
SBA Releases PPP Loan Forgiveness Application
On May 15, SBA released the Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application. Because loan forgiveness was a huge component of Paycheck Protection Program, the application is hugely important. While this post won’t do a deep dive into the loan forgiveness rules, we wanted
Koprince Law LLC · May 21, 2020
GAO Catch-22: A Protest is Both Too Late and Too Early
Over the years, we’ve written a fair number of blogs about how contractors have been either too early or too late to protest. What we haven’t blogged about is a situation) where a contractor is premature and late. Unfortunately for one protester, GAO has recently confirmed that y
Koprince Law LLC · May 20, 2020
YouTube Tuesday: Submitting Contract Claims to Contracting Officers
In this video, I walk you through how to make claims to your contracting officer under the Contract Disputes Act. If you would like assistance preparing a claim, Koprince Law can help. View the full article
Koprince Law LLC · May 19, 2020
Partner Matthew Moriarty Weighs in on PPP Loans for Foreign-Owned Businesses
SmallGovCon’s @MoriartyGovCon was recently interviewed by @ABC about PPP & foreign-owned businesses! Check out the article here. View the full article
Koprince Law LLC · May 19, 2020
Running the Numbers: SBA OIG Tallies Up Handling of PPP Loans
The SBA’s Office of Inspector General released an early report on SBA’s handling of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The report identified some important areas where SBA has not quite hit the mark in matching the priorities of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Secur
Koprince Law LLC · May 18, 2020
PPP Loans: To Take or Not To Take?
Many small businesses are struggling right now. And PPP loans may offer some much-needed relief under the circumstances. But how do you know if it is a good idea to accept the loan for your company? Unfortunately, the only answer is “it depends.” There is no one-size-fits-all res
Koprince Law LLC · May 15, 2020
SmallGovCon Week In Review: May 11 – May 15, 2020
This week on the blog we continued to bring you coverage of COVID-19 related issues, including some timely updates on SBA’s extension of the deadline to return funds under the Paycheck Protection Program. But there was much more federal contracting news this week, including artic
Koprince Law LLC · May 15, 2020
UPDATE: SBA Extends PPP Loan Payback Safe Harbor Provision Deadline (Again!) to May 18
Since our post yesterday, the SBA has once again updated the safe harbor deadline for paying back Paycheck Protection Program loans to Monday, May 18. As a quick reminder of what we discussed more in depth here, on April 28, the SBA published an interim rule on the PPP, which inc
Koprince Law LLC · May 14, 2020
Too Little, Too Late? SBA Updates Guidance on PPP Safe Harbor the Day Before May 14 Deadline
Just hours before the May 14 deadline for businesses to return “unnecessary” Paycheck Protection Program loans without penalties, the SBA has published new guidance on how it will review borrowers’ required good-faith certifications. As we discussed here, on April 28, the SBA pub
Koprince Law LLC · May 13, 2020
SBA OHA confirms 3-year look-back period for economic dependence affiliation
Under the SBA’s regulations, affiliation between two companies might exist where one company derives 70% or more of its receipts from the other over the preceding three fiscal years. See 13 C.F.R. § 121.103(f)(2). This economic dependence affiliation, as it is called, can be tric
Koprince Law LLC · May 13, 2020
YouTube Tuesday: Unreasonable Solicitation Terms—What Options Does a Contractor Have?
What can contractors do about unreasonable terms in an agency’s solicitation? Managing Partner Matt Schoonover walks you through the options: View the full article
Koprince Law LLC · May 12, 2020