SBA takes closer look at federal contractors
The Small Business Administration is stepping up its efforts to ensure contractors aren’t fudging the truth in order to win government deals. The SBA in fiscal year 2010 visited more than 1,000 small...
View ArticleContract disputes reach an all-time high
For the fourth consecutive year, the number of bid protests filed with the Government Accountability Office has increased significantly, a trend some analysts attribute to recent growth in federal...
View ArticleHUBZone program faces economic uncertainties
Small companies in economically depressed regions have lost their priority status when it comes to set-aside contracts. Acquisition officials are no longer required to check for companies in...
View ArticleNew SBA rules affect small businesses contracting programs
Newly-published rules by the Small Business Administration (SBA) address the justification and approval process associated with large sole-source contract awards to 8(a) firms; address parity among...
View ArticleGovernment gets a B in 2010 small business contracting
The Small Business Administration gave the government a B grade for its attempts to reach small-business contracting goals, including the annual 23 percent overall goal, an agency official said June...
View ArticleSBA planning to add vets, women and HUBZone firms to mentor-protégé program
The Small Business Administration will expand the reach of it mentor-protégé programs it was announced during testimony on Sept. 15 during the House Small Business Committee Subcommittee on Contracting...
View ArticleFraud continues in small business preference programs
Contractor fraud in small business set-aside programs is difficult to detect and prove, but its annual costs to government are significant in dollars and damage to legitimate business that deserve the...
View ArticleHUBZone workforce model suggested for veterans
A federal task force has raised the idea of offering special privileges in government contracting to companies with a certain percentage of employees who are veterans. The new type of business would...
View ArticleDo Alaska Native Corporations deserve their special contracting status?
For many people, the government’s set-aside program for Alaska Native Corporations is a blemish on the federal acquisition system. Even people who otherwise support the idea of setting aside contracts...
View ArticleSmall-biz set-asides may harm firms, expert says
There may already be too many set-aside categories for small businesses, according to at least one expert. The sheer number of categories, and the targets set for agencies to award certain numbers of...
View ArticleSmall Business panel advances six pro-contractor bills
A package of six bills designed to steer more federal contract opportunities toward small businesses cleared the House Small Business Committee last Wednesday (3/7/2012), amid bipartisan frustration at...
View ArticleIRS contractor loses SBA certification in bid protest decision
The Small Business Administration has revoked the Historically Underutilized Business Zone status of a contractor that has come under congressional scrutiny over nearly $500 million in IRS contracts...
View ArticleIRS severing ties with firm amid $500 million in questionable contracts
The Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday it is moving to cut ties with a favored software vendor after learning that one of the agency’s top procurement officials had improper contact with the...
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SBA watchdog warns of IT security risks, poor data in contracting goals
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has made solid headway in addressing most of its 10 major management and performance challenges, but took a step backward on information technology security, its...
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Manufacturer agrees to pay $400,000 to settle False Claims Act violations
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced that Arvco Container Corporation of Kalamazoo, MI has agreed to pay $400,000 to settle False Claims Act...
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Academy provides customized instruction on small business certification to...
The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech provided four hours of intensive instruction to a group of 90 counselors on the topic of “Teaching Your Clients How To Obtain a Small Business...
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SBA ‘beats the odds’ by finalizing several major contracting regulations
In November 2018, Federal News Network and procurement expert Larry Allen set some odds about whether certain acquisition regulations would be completed sometime in 2019. For the most part, the odds...
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GSA imagines new small business GWAC
The General Services Administration gave the public a look at its next step in developing the agency’s new small business governmentwide contracting (GWAC) vehicle that will eventually replace the...
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