SmallGovCon
Small business federal contracting commentary.
Webinar Event! Top 21 Legal Mistakes in Federal Government Contracting, April 9, 2025, 11:00-12:00pm CDT
Federal contracting rules and laws are complicated, and the rules aren’t always intuitive. Many contractors make legal mistakes routinely, involving everything from completing SAM profiles to calculating small business size to communicating with government contracting officers. F
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 26, 2025
SmallGovCon Week in Review: March 17-21, 2025
Happy Spring! It’s been a long, cold winter here in the Midwest. But we are starting to see many signs of spring this week. I just got back from a spring break trip to Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan, Alabama and this picture was taken on the beach there. It was a great time to recha
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 24, 2025
A Look at the Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing (Part 1)
The duty of good faith and fair dealing in contract law is, admittedly, a bit poorly named. It does not require that a party act in bad faith to breach it. You do not need to act nefariously to run afoul of it. But then the question arises: What is it? How does one breach it? Thi
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 19, 2025
Dealing with Contract Alterations and Modifications Due to Changes in the Administration
There are many questions facing contractors during this time of change and disruption based on new initiatives from the Trump Administration and the impact on the federal government’s role buying from federal contractors. One of the biggest questions is what can be done if the go
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 18, 2025
SmallGovCon Week in Review: March 10-14, 2025
Happy Friday. Hope everyone had a great week. We wanted to share an announcement this week that WIFCON.com is back. Posted from the website: “Wifcon.com was created by Robert (Bob) Antonio 26 years ago. Operated and maintained solely by him and at his own expense, the website has
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 14, 2025
NAICS Code Appeal Still a Powerful Tool
When contractors think of protests or litigation related to federal contracting, likely their thoughts go to a bid protest or a size protest. Additionally, when thinking of protesting prior to bids being due, the focus generally is on the wording and provisions of a solicitation.
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 13, 2025
Spell it Out for Me: OHA Finds Joint Venture Agreement Compliant When Reviewed with Operating Agreement
When an SBA approved mentor and protégé create a joint venture to pursue contracts set-aside for small businesses, SBA requires the mentor-protégé joint venture agreement to contain the requirements found in 13 C.F.R. § 125.8(b)(2).) But how closely does the joint venture agreeme
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 12, 2025
SmallGovCon Week in Review: March 3-7, 2025
Hello, blog readers and happy Friday. Can you believe it’s already March? In just a few short weeks, spring will (finally) be here! Hooray! With all the snow we had, we are definitely looking forward to warmer temperatures and to getting outside more. We hope that you’re gearing
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 7, 2025
GAO: Agency Must Recognize Novation as Part of Pending Offer
A recent bid protest decision examines the effect of a novation on a pending procurement. After a complicated procedural history, GAO said that an agency must take into account a corporate transaction and novation, even if the agency wasn’t aware of the novation at time of propos
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 6, 2025
Res 2025: Beyond Boundaries Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, March 10-13, 2025
The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) is going Beyond Boundaries for the 2025 Reservation Economic Summit. The event features tribal leaders, members of Congress, federal agency representatives, state and local officials, and top CEOs on a nation
Koprince Law LLC · Mar 5, 2025
SmallGovCon Week in Review: February 24-28, 2025
Happy Friday! Tomorrow is the first day of March and you know what that means if you are a college basketball fan. March Madness! Start thinking about your bracket strategy and let the games begin! Have a great weekend. This week in federal government contracting saw GSA deviatio
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 28, 2025
Confusion About the Nonmanufacturer Rule: When Does it Apply?
One of the rules we get asked about the most as government contracts attorneys is what’s known as the nonmanufacturer rule, 13 C.F.R. § 121.406 (So much so that we felt it wise to go over the rule in one of our “Back to Basics” posts to help clear some things up). It’s pretty und
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 26, 2025
SBA Reminder: Ensure all Joint Venture Requirements are Met to have a Successful JV
Joint ventures pursuing a contract under any of the SBA’s socioeconomic programs (Woman-Owned Small Business Program, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program, 8(a) Program, and HUBZone) all have requirements beyond the general requirements that a non-joint venture p
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 24, 2025
SmallGovCon Week in Review: February 17-21, 2025
Here is your Week in Review as you head into the weekend. We are still attempting to get through this second artic blast here in the Midwest this week. I think it’s safe to say we are all looking forward to those warmer temperatures that are returning next week. Enjoy the weekend
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 21, 2025
Govology Webinar Announcement! The Concept of “Responsibility” in Government Contracting (2025 Update), March 6, 1:00pm EST
Winning a government contract requires more than just submitting the best proposal—your company must also be deemed “responsible” by the federal government. Responsibility in government contracting goes beyond technical capabilities and pricing; it encompasses financial stability
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 20, 2025
Why File: A COFC Protest
As a federal contractor, there are many factors to consider in filing a potential bid protest. In this post, we look at the potential considerations, both pros and cons, for filing a bid protest at the Court of Federal Claims (COFC). Below are some of the main items to think abou
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 19, 2025
GovCon FAQs: How do I Show Service-Disabled Veteran Status for SBA?
Many federal contractors are familiar with or have heard of the Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program. It is currently run by the SBA, but previously was administered by the VA. Due to the nature of the program being around for a while, and shifting from
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 17, 2025
SmallGovCon Week in Review: February 10-14, 2025
Happy Valentine’s Day! Well, our KC Chiefs just couldn’t pull off that third Super Bowl win but it sure was a fun football season, all the same. Looking forward to what might be in store for next season. Now we can start leaning into March Madness, which will be just around the c
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 14, 2025
Fully Devoted or Just Rebuttable? Qualifying Veterans Overcome Full-Time Devotion Rule
It doesn’t take too long to find a blog post where we’ve discussed SBA’s Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) full-time devotion requirement. For a service-disabled veteran (SDV) to meet the SDVOSB control requirements, the SDV must control “the management and d
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 13, 2025
Webinar Event! February 26, 2025, The SBA Mentor Protege Program in Collaboration with Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, 10:30-12:30pm EST
Touted as a “game-changer” when it was first introduced in 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protege Program isn’t new anymore. Known now as simply the “SBA Mentor-Protege Program, it is still extremely powerful for large and small contractors alike.
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 12, 2025
GovCon FAQs: How Should a Joint Venture Allocate Profits?
It is a fairly standard business practice to divide profits according to ownership ratio. And a joint venture made up of only small business venturers only pursuing small business set-asides can follow this business practice—or any business practice—to divide up its profits (limi
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 11, 2025
Webinar Event! 21 Mistakes in Government Contracting, February 21, 2025, 11:00am-12:00pm CST
Federal contracting rules and laws are complicated, and the rules aren’t always intuitive. Many contractors make legal mistakes routinely, involving everything from completing SAM profiles to calculating small business size to communicating with government contracting officers. F
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 7, 2025
SmallGovCon Week in Review: February 3-7, 2025
Happy Friday! Are you all ready for the Super Bowl this Sunday? Maybe it can be a time of unity amidst uncertainty. Enjoy your favorite snacks and cheer on the commercials (I mean the Chiefs!). Have fun watching the game and have a wonderful weekend! And now for this weeks news i
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 7, 2025
Executive Order for Nondisplacement of Federal Workers Rescinded
Indeed, Executive Order (EO) No. 14055, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts, was only one of many predecessor EOs rescinded by the Trump administration shortly after taking office. But its removal has significant impacts on federal government contracting.
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 6, 2025
End of the Line for Transmutation Agreements in 8(a) Program
We at SmallGovCon have analyzed a number of key updates from the recent SBA final rule concerning HUBZone Program Updates and Clarifications, and Clarifications to Other Small Business Programs. But, with the rule covering many issues, there are aspects we didn’t cover everything
Koprince Law LLC · Feb 5, 2025