The infusion of new contractors means that the OASIS program will be well-positioned to continue to deliver best value mission support to meet customer agency needs.
Source: GSA’s OASIS: A strategic asset on the procurement landscape
If you have direct or indirect leadership responsibilities for revenue generation, you need to know who to develop as business development assets and how to judge the value of your investment.
Source: Do you know who to invest your BD dollars in? — Washington Technology
Many questions have recently been received regarding federal government contracting small business set aside designations. This article will explain the designation types and suggest the best ways to establish and use them in your business planning.
There are 7 major small business set-aside designations in federal government contracting:
The President signed the 2019 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) named for Senator John McCain on Monday this week. We’ve covered a couple of the provisions in the legislation that are of interest to Government contractors, especially small businesses. Monday we discussed the prohibition against contracting officers arbitrarily withholding consent to subcontract just because they didn’t like the price or the estimated cost and yesterday we took a look at a provision designed to enhance the effectiveness of PTACs (Procurement Technical Assistance Centers). Yesterday we discussed a new requirement that allows the Defense Department to pay small businesses in 15 days rather than the traditional 30 days. Today we will look at the new definition of “commercial items”. There are two definitions now, one for commercial products and the other for commercial services. These will become important distinctions as the Government’s stated preference is to buy commercial first and if commercial items are not available, then to utilize some other procurement mechanism.
Source: PNWC’s Government Contracting Update: NDAA 2019 – Commercial Products and Commercial Services
GAO has the authority to oversee bid protests involving many different government agencies. But its jurisdiction has limits, such as that it won’t consider protests of certain activities at the US Mint. One other limitation is that, when a federal agency provides funding to a non-federal entity, and that non-federal entity procures services through competitive award, GAO will not consider a protest of that award. A recent GAO decision confirmed the lack of jurisdiction in a situation involving a competitive procurement by a federally recognized tribe using FEMA grant money.
We’re halfway through the government’s fourth quarter, and experienced contractors know what that means–lots of awards on the horizon.
According to a fascinating new analysis from USASpending.gov, the fourth quarter spike in contract awards is quite real, and quite significant: the value of average weekly contract spending in the final week of the fiscal year is more than double that of the next-highest weekly average.
Source: Yes, Contract Spending Really Does Increase a Lot in September, USASpending Says – SmallGovCon
The President signed the 2019 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) named for Senator John McCain yesterday. So this week we will be covering just a few of the provisions included in the legislation – those that might be of interest to Government contractors (and prospective Government contractors). Yesterday we discussed the prohibition against contracting officers arbitrarily withholding consent to subcontract just because they didn’t like the price or the estimated cost. Today we want to take a look at a provision that has potential benefit for small businesses – enhanced PTAC (Procurement Technical Assistance Centers).
Source: PNWC’s Government Contracting Update: 2019 NDAA – Funding for PTACs
The President signed the 2019 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) named for Senator John McCain on Monday this week. We’ve covered a couple of the provisions in the legislation that are of interest to Government contractors, especially small businesses. Monday we discussed the prohibition against contracting officers arbitrarily withholding consent to subcontract just because they didn’t like the price or the estimated cost and yesterday we took a look at a provision designed to enhance the effectiveness of PTACs (Procurement Technical Assistance Centers). Today we want to look at another provision that should benefit small businesses – prompt payments.
Source: PNWC’s Government Contracting Update: 2019 NDAA – Accelerated Payments to Small Businesses
Every program manager and acquisition professional in DOD has been leveraging the newest buzzword: OTA, which stands for Other Transaction Authority. OTAs have been in the acquisition arsenal for years, but Congress just recently relaxed rules and restrictions on their use, paving the way for OTAs to be the new hot method for rapid technology insertion and piloting. The Office of the Undersecretary of Acquisition and Sustainment recently has been working on an OTA handbook to help guide DOD acquisition professionals on the do’s and don’ts of this newly revitalized procurement method. It’s no surprise we’re starting to see the use of more and more OTAs.
Source: OTAs Are Heating Up in the DOD | Government Sales Insider
Congress’s progress on its 12 annual spending bills for fiscal 2019 means “we’re in pretty good shape ” for funding federal agencies, David Berteau, president and CEO of the 400-member Professional Services Council, told his contractor members in a webinar on Wednesday.
Source: Shutdown Advice for Contractors: If a Stop-Work Order Comes, Stop Work – Contracting – GovExec.com
