In response to widespread interest in allowing more small business participation in opportunities involving cloud computing, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) has decided to exclude cloud computing from the limitation
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Veterans Are First at the VA Following New Class Deviation Implementing Recent Federal Circuit Mandate
In its most recent attempt to strike the appropriate balance between the Veterans First and AbilityOne programs, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) issued on May 20, 2019 a class deviation to the VA Acquisition Regulations (“VAAR,” 48 C.F.R. Chapter 8), instructing contracting officers to conduct a “Rule of Two” analysis before procuring from the AbilityOne Procurement List.
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VA Vendors Beware: Mind the Company You Keep; It’s Time for a Compliance Checkup
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) acquisitions are about to get a lot more attention – from the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and possibly Congress, as well. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently published a report (GAO-19-157SP) updating its “High Risk List,” which lists 35 government agencies and programs that may be particularly vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, adding “VA Acquisition Management” to the list of the usual suspects. If, as Aesop opined, “a man is known by the company he keeps,” then the VA has now joined a notorious group. VA vendors should be aware of this development, because any attempt by the VA to “get well” will likely come with heightened compliance obligations for VA vendors.
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More Opportunities On the Horizon for Small Businesses Seeking to Sell Cloud Computing to the Government
By Townsend Bourne & Bochan Kim on
Each year, the Government purchases more and more cloud computing from contractors. But while many small businesses can provide cloud computing, the current rules associated with small business set-aside contracts prevent agencies from awarding prime contracts with a large cloud computing component to small businesses.
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Threats and Vulnerabilities – What Every Contractor Should Know About The SBA’s New “Presumed Loss” and “Deemed Certification” Rules
By Sheppard Mullin on
Posted in Compliance, False Claims, FCA, SBA, Set-Aside, Size Standards, Small Business, Subcontracts
Nearly three years ago, on September 27, 2010, the President signed into law the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (“Jobs Act”), which directed the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to implement a variety of small business size and integrity requirements. As noted in our prior blog posting discussing many of these requirements, many of these provisions posed a significant threat to government contractors – both large and small businesses alike. On October 7, 2011, the SBA published its blueprint for implementing the statutory requirements. See 76 Fed. Reg. 52313 (the “Proposed Rule”). The Proposed Rule contained language that many industry participants and observers found alarming, particularly the requirements that:…
The 8(a) Mentor Protégé Program: Opportunities for Large and Small Businesses
By Sheppard Mullin on
Under the Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) 8(a) Mentor-Protégé program, large businesses provide various forms of business development assistance to small businesses participants, including, for example, technical and/or management assistance, financial assistance, and assistance in performing prime contracts. The program, whose governing regulations are set out in 13 C.F.R. Part 124, offers substantial opportunities for large businesses to participate in performance of federal government contracts through partnering with 8(a) program participants on a variety of contractual arrangements, including set-aside procurements, subcontracts, and prime contracts.…
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Objects In SBA’s Mirror Are Smaller Than They Appear: A Summary Of SBA’s Proposed Rule To Increase Small Business Size Standards
By Sheppard Mullin on
The U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) issued a proposed rule on March 16, 2011 that increases the small business size standards for 35 industries and one sub-industry in North American Industry Classification System (“NAICS”) Sector 54, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services and one industry in NAICS Sector 81, Other Services. The proposed rule is one of several rules to be proposed by the SBA that will examine and potentially change the small business size standards for industries grouped by NAICS Sector. The SBA undertook this effort following passage of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, implemented on September 27, 2010, and Executive Order 13563, signed by President Obama on January 18, 2011, which calls for agencies to undertake a review of possible ineffective or outdated rules and, if necessary, update and streamline their rules to better meet regulatory objectives.
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