SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION House Small Business Committee Calls for a Status Update on FAR Revision of Limitations on Subcontracting. Last week, House Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot and Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez sent a letter to the acting administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy requesting a status update of Federal Acquisition Regulation Case Number 2016-011, titled “Revision of Limitations on Subcontracting. Section 1651 of Public Law 112-239, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (2013 . . . Read More
Presented By Katie Flood and Julia Di Vito Click here to view the recorded session. Although the FAR provides a fairly generic definition of a Contracting Team Arrangement (CTA), the concept means something very distinct when applied in the pursuit of a GSA Schedule opportunity. Combining practical elements from both joint ventures and prime/subcontractor relationships, GSA provides contractors the opportunity to team together under a CTA umbrella in order for the contractors to combine their respective Schedule offerings in response to the . . . Read More
Many federal government contractors are familiar with certain federal certifications, such as small business, woman-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and the like, and the contract set-aside benefits that are associated with such socioeconomic designations. While some of these federal certifications may flow down to state and local procurements, many government contractors may also qualify for state and local certifications, which can generate more revenue outside of the ever-competitive federal government contracting marketplace. Similarly to the federal government, many . . . Read More
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) has taken this proverb to heart when it comes to implementing a new test for what it means to be a “joint employer” under the National Labor Relations Act. Following a failed attempt to change the standard through case law, the NLRB is now attempting to revise it by issuing a proposed rule. Last December, the NLRB endeavored to reverse Obama-era NLRB precedent, which held . . . Read More
You may have heard of Contractor Team Arrangements (“CTA”) that can be used to pursue General Services Administration (“GSA”) Schedule contract opportunities, but do you know how a CTA can maximize your ability to qualify for government contracts? CTAs are distinct from traditional prime contractor-subcontractor relationships and joint ventures, and they provide different methods for making your company a more attractive offeror. A CTA allows two or more GSA Schedule contractors to team together for GSA Schedule opportunities, and all . . . Read More
Jon Williams presented a webinar on Category Management for JSchaus & Associates on Wednesday, September 12, 2018. You can view the 25 minute webinar here .
As we head into a busy proposal and award season, keep in mind some important changes to Service Contract Act (“SCA”) wages and fringe benefits. In July, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued revised SCA health and welfare (“H&W”) benefit amounts, increasing the base rate from $4.41 per hour to $4.48 per hour. An H&W rate of $4.18 per hour is now applicable to employees performing work on contracts that include FAR 52.222-62, Sick Leave for Contractors. This rate takes . . . Read More
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Boosting small business demands big ideas According to an article in dcma.mil , there are 28 million small businesses in America, and Defense Contract Management Agency’s small business team wants as many of them as possible to join the defense industrial base. “Our mission is to provide small business support to our defense and government customers by ensuring subcontracting compliance and optimizing subcontracting opportunities,” said Tatia Evelyn-Bellamy, the director of DCMA’s Small Business Office and Small Business Compliance . . . Read More
Title VIII—Acquisition Policy, Acquisition Management, and Related Matters of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (“2019 NDAA”) includes a number of changes to the Department of Defense (“DoD”) acquisition statutes and the definition of commercial items. These changes appear to be in direct response to the recommendations from the Section 809 Panel (the “Panel”) reports from January and June of 2018. In its reports, the Panel noted the sometimes cumbersome and unnecessary complexity of the DoD acquisition system and the confusion surrounding the definition of . . . Read More
On August 13, 2018, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) for Fiscal Year 2019 was signed into law by President Trump. As with prior NDAAs, the 2019 NDAA includes a number of provisions that affect procurement policy, management, and related matters. Below, we summarize some of the more notable provisions that will impact small business procurement. Section 822—Establishment of Expedited Process for Small Value Contracts Among other things, Section 822 of the 2019 NDAA requires the Secretary of Defense (“Secretary”), by no later than December 1, 2019, to develop . . . Read More
