Skyway Wire
Make Your Proposal Better: (Part 5 of a Series) Never Assume that the Benefit of Your Technical Proposal is Obvious to the Customer
Writing a more compelling and persuasive proposal than your competitors can significantly improve your chances of winning. In this series, we will provide some tips professional proposal writers...
SBA Publishes Final Rule to Allow Sole Source Awards to WOSBs/EDWOSBs
On September 14, 2015, the Small Business Administration (SBA) published their final rule allowing sole source awards to Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) or Economically Disadvantaged...
Have We Sacrificed Quality for Price?
This blog post was written by a guest author. Nearly 40 years ago I got my first job in the Federal Contracting world working for an aerospace company. The acquisition environment back then was very...
VA Proposes Substantial Changes to VOSB/SDVOSB Verification Program
On November 6, 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a proposed rule to amend regulations for the VA’s verification program for veteran owned small businesses (VOSBs) and...
Exchange or Sale of Similar Items (US Code 40 U.S.C. § 503)
This blog was written by a guest author. The Department of Defense has, by practical necessity, had to keep certain systems in use much longer than originally intended. Also in developing systems...
Interesting Federal Contracting Policy Tidbits
Protests and Funding: According to the Red Book: Principles of Federal Appropriations Law: Third Edition, Volume I, Page 5-76, Exemptions from the Account Closing Procedures (excerpt): Section...
Finding the Right Point of Contact
When you are getting ready to sell your product or service to a government agency, finding the right person to talk to, and knowing what’s important to that individual and what is not, can be...
SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) Shows Some Flexibility on the Ostensible Subcontractor Rule
The Small Business Administration (“SBA”) is changing its views on small business prime contractors who propose to hire “key personnel” from their subcontractors when looking at the “ostensible...
Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors
In September 2015, the President issued Executive Order (EO) 13706, Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors, which will require contractors to provide paid sick leave to their employees...
Non-Manufacturer Rule Scrutiny Continues
The non-manufacture rule (NMR) has always been difficult to understand for both contracting professionals and contractors. FAR 19.001 states: “Non-manufacturer rule” means that a contractor under a...
Capabilities Statements – Make a Good First Impression
I’ve often heard folks say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. For companies wanting to sell their products and services to the government, a capability statement IS that...
Increases in Statutory Thresholds Effective 1 Oct 15
41 U.S.C. 1908 requires an inflation adjustment of statutory acquisition-related thresholds every five years. As a result, the following statutory thresholds became effective on 1 October 2015: •...
Changes to FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting
The Limitation on Subcontracting clause is discussed all the time and has been confusing for 30+ years. To make it worse, there was a change implemented by the National Defense Authorization Act...
Proper Use of GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Contracts
If you’ve read some of my previous posts on the subject of GSA schedules, you should know two things: (1) I like GSA FSS contracts; and (2) I think some Federal agencies are making them harder to...
Contractor Options for Challenging CPARS Ratings
FAR 42.1503(d), Contractor Performance Information Procedures, provides that contractors “shall be afforded up to 14 calendar days from the date of notification of availability of the past...
Can a Small Business Set Aside be used if part of the work is outside the US?
Maersk Line is a large business in Norfolk VA, who protested (Maersk Line GAO Protest B-410280: 12/1/14) the terms of RFP N00033-14-R-3201, issued by the Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC) for...