In Recent News
SBA Begins Review of Personal Social Disadvantage Narratives
August 30, 2023 Written by Holland & Knight LLP
The 8(a) Program is in a state of uncertainty as the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) requires participants who relied on the presumption of social disadvantage to enter the program to obtain SBA approval of personal social disadvantage narratives before they can receive future 8(a) contracts. In this blog, we address an 8(a) participant's options for appeal if it receives an adverse decision from SBA rejecting its assertion of social disadvantage. We also look at how 8(a) participants might seek to protest a fellow 8(a) competitor's status as socially disadvantaged when selected for award of future 8(a) contracts.
August 24, 2023 McCarter & English
In what is quickly becoming an epic saga centered around the repercussions from the Ultima Servs. case, 8(a) program participants should have received a direct communication from the Small Business Administration (SBA) on Monday (August 21), providing direction on next steps regarding social disadvantage eligibility determinations. As that communication stated, if your firm’s 8(a) eligibility was based on an individual or individual(s) who relied upon the rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage, the firm will now be required to submit a social disadvantage narrative.
Stuff you are not supposed to buy finds its way into GSA multiple-award schedule contracts
August 14, 2023 Federal News Network
By law and regulation, certain products are barred from purchase by federal agencies, like telecommunications products made in China. Yet the General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General has found that somehow prohibited products have made their way onto the Multiple Awards Schedule contracts. Tom Temin spoke with Deputy Assistant IG for Acquisition Program Audits, Barbara Bouldin and with the Regional IG for Auditing, Michelle Westrup.
Is GSA’s Alliant 3 vehicle tilted too much to small, very large contractors?
July13, 2023 Federal News Network
Let me riddle you this: When it comes to government contracting, if you are not a small business, what are you?
The answer, of course, is “other than small.”
Not much of a riddle, except if you are a “medium-sized” business in the $34.1 million to $250 million revenue range (feel free to argue for that end range to be closer to $500 million) over the last year, specifically under NAICS Code 541512 — computer systems design services.
Then the riddle clearly is how to compete in a market that favors small and very large firms.
The nine trends reshaping government in 2023
March 23, 2023 Deloitte Insights
The change is happening at all levels of government. In both thought and practice, visible both inside and outside public buildings: Walls are coming down. The silos inside governments and between government agencies and between government and the private sector—all of these boundaries are increasingly being dissolved in the service of results.
March 21, 2023 YouTube (Deloitte)
A&J Client Briefings
GSA Contract Benefits Ocotober 2020