The Veterans Administration can freely acquire goods and services from GSA’s Federal Supply Schedule, and it is not required to set-aside such procurements for veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) or service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs). Under the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, the VA is required to set aside procurements for

The SBA has released its Small Business Procurement Scorecards for 2011, and for the second year in a row the results paint a grim picture. In 2011 [pdf], small businesses were awarded an even smaller share of federal contract dollars than they received in 2010—$6.4 billion smaller. Prime contract awards to small businesses in 2011 totaled $91.5 billion, or 21.65 percent of federal agency contract expenditures. The previous year [pdf], small businesses were awarded 22.66 percent of all federal prime contracts, or $97.9 billion. It’s official: federal agencies have failed once again to meet the 23 percent government-wide goal for prime contract awards to small business concerns set by the Small Business Act.
Continue Reading Takeaways from SBA’s 2011 procurement scorecard

The Court of Federal Claims has issued an important decision establishing that offerors will be held accountable for making inaccurate representations in proposals. According to the Court’s decision in GTA Containers, Inc. v. United States, No. 11-606C (Fed. Cl. Feb. 22, 2012) [pdf], proof that an offeror made a misrepresentation in its proposal is sufficient to sustain a bait-and-switch protest if the agency relied on the misrepresentation.
Continue Reading Clarifying the standard of proof for bait-and-switch protests at the Court of Federal Claims

As part of the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program, participants are permitted to form mentor-protégé relationships and to establish joint venture (JV) entities eligible for award of 8(a) set aside contracts. Before a mentor-protégé JV can be eligible for set-aside awards, its JV Agreement has to be approved by the SBA Office of Business Development. Approval is conditioned upon compliance with applicable regulations, including 13 C.F.R. § 124.513. After award of a set-aside contract, other offerors have the option of filing a size protest with the SBA challenging the awardee’s status as small.

In Size Appeal of Trident, LLC, SBA No. SIZ-5315 (Jan. 24, 2012) [pdf], the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) held that an SBA area office has no authority to review the substance of an 8(a) mentor-protégé JV agreement as part of a size appeal if it has already been approved by the SBA Office of Business Development and determined to be in compliance with applicable regulations. In that case, Trident appealed the area office’s determination that it was “other than small” and accordingly ineligible for award of an 8(a) set-aside for weather observation and forecasting services.Continue Reading Once SBA approves an 8(a) mentor-protégé JV agreement, it can’t be questioned in a size appeal

The FAR Councils have adopted a final rule [pdf] revising the categories of veterans protected by federal equal opportunity laws. The rule updates the FAR to reflect Department of Labor regulations addressing equal opportunity requirements for veterans. The FAR amendments identify four categories of veterans: disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, armed forces service medal veterans,

Contributed by Husch Blackwell Partner Bert Wolf, Esq.

Government contractors are relieved that they won’t immediately face having 3% of their invoices withheld as an advance against future tax liability. The IRS’s final rule implementing the 3% withholding tax won’t go into effect until 2013.  Absent a material modification, contracts executed by December 31, 2012 will be exempt from the withholding tax entirely, at least until January 1, 2014. But that isn’t the end of the story. Here is a bit of the background on the source of the 3% withholding tax, why it has been delayed, and some thoughts on why it’s not a great solution to the problem at hand.Continue Reading Will the 3% contractor withholding tax ever go into effect?

More legislation to address the recent high-profile abuses of the SBA contracting system is in the works. A bipartisan group led by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has introduced legislation called the Small Business Contracting Fraud Prevention Act of 2011 [pdf]. Among other things, the bill would amend the provisions of the Small Business Act relating to misrepresentations as to the status of companies as small business concerns, including HUBZone, 8(a), woman-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.
Continue Reading The Small Business Contracting Fraud Prevention Act of 2010

Do you think that small business contracts and subcontracts have been going to contractors that do not qualify as small businesses? If so, you may be interested in the new legislative changes intended to discourage and penalize fraud in small business contracting. The changes are in the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, signed by the President on September 27, 2010.
Continue Reading The Small Business Jobs Act raises the stakes for fraudulent small businesses

A recent bid protest decision by the United States Court of Federal Claims is a reminder that HUBZone small business concerns must monitor their compliance with SBA rules. In Mission Critical Solutions v. United States, No. 10-810C (Fed. Cl. Feb 18, 2011) [pdf], the court held that a contractor was properly decertified as a HUBZone small business concern and ineligible for a contract set aside for HUBZone small businesses because fewer than 35 percent of its employees resided in HUBZones at the time of award.
Continue Reading HUBZone employees must reside in a HUBZone at the time of contract award

Sweeping changes to Small Business Administration (“SBA”) regulations will go into effect on March 14, 2011.  The new rules affect SBA’s 8(a) Business Development (“BD”) program, SBA’s mentor/protégé program, and its joint venture regulations.  The final rule can be found here.  As a whole, the amendments suggest that SBA intends to eliminate manipulation and abuse of the 8(a) BD and mentor/protégé programs by small and large businesses alike. 

Continue Reading A Primer on SBA’s New 8(a) Regulations