Skyway Wire
GSA’s Making It Easier Initiative
On April 6, 2016, GSA launched a series of new programs collectively called the “Making It Easier (MIE)” initiative. According to GSA, MIE is intended to make it easier for new companies to do...
GAO’s Jurisdiction of Civilian Agency Task Order Protests has Expired
On October 1, 2016, the Government Accountability Office’s (“GAO”) jurisdiction over protests on civilian agency task orders valued at more than $10 million expired. This leaves government...
Consolidation and Bundling
Effective October 21, 2016, DoD, GSA, and NASA issued a final rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and implement sections of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 and regulatory...
Solicitation Amendments – Why? When? How?
You might think that a good solicitation should never require any changes or amendments at all. While this seems like it is true it is rare for a solicitation package to be issued by the Government...
Using Government Property
The use of Government Furnished Property (GFP) can have its benefits, but the clause “52.245-1 Government Property” is a long and complex read. The decision to use government property usually is...
Proposal Tag-Ups
Managing the proposal process when there are multiple teammates and writers, not necessarily co-located, is a challenge for a company of any size. Proposal “tag-ups” are an effective tool for...
SBA Final Rule Amends HUBZone Program Regulations
The SBA has issued a direct final rule, which was effective October 3, 2016, to amend the HUBZone Program. The changes include (1) authorizing Native Hawaiian Organizations (“NHO”) to own HUBZone...
Past Performance
I have always regarded Past Performance rather skeptically, not because it is a bad idea, but because it is difficult to properly capture and present as part of a proposal, and nearly as difficult...
Choosing the Right Size of Opportunity to Pursue
You know, not every shiny object is right for your company. Lots of times you see opportunities for contracts with the government that appear to be something you can (and want to!) perform for the...
Small Business Mentor Protégé Programs
On July 25, 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a final rule to amend its regulations and implement provisions of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 and the National Defense...
Contractor Responsibility (Blog 4 of 4): Proving You Have the Ability to Obtain the Resources to Effectively Manage and Execute the Contract After Award
We just covered each of the elements that a Contracting Officer (CO) must consider when making the Determination of Responsibility for the prospective contractor before every contract award. The CO...
Contractor Responsibility (Blog 3 of 4): Proving You Have the Experience to Effectively Manage and Execute the Contract After Award
The administrative nightmare of working with a small business to help them succeed, plus the ultimate time and expense of having to re-compete the contract just a short time later if they fail, is...
Contractor Responsibility (Blog 2 of 4): How do I prove I have the resources to effectively manage and execute the contract after award?
One thing that small businesses struggle with is the perception by contracting activities that all small businesses are “mom and pop shops.” That is, a couple of people who get together and say “I...
Contractor Responsibility (Blog 1 of 4): How and why does a Contracting Officer Make a Determination of Responsibility?
Something that Contracting Officers (COs) live in fear of is awarding a contract to a business who does not have the resources to actually perform the contract. The Federal Acquisition Regulation...
Contract Management
Contract Management is a broad term, because it involves so many diverse functions: performance reporting, quality assurance reporting, contract modifications, Engineering Change Proposals (or...
Accounting for the Future
Small businesses often have simple accounting systems that meet their immediate needs but do not accommodate future proposal needs. For example, if you only perform as a services subcontractor and...