GAO will frequently dismiss protest grounds based on its strict timeliness rules, as we’ve written about before on the blog. Generally, GAO’s bid protest regulations require a contractor to file a protest within “10 days after the basis of protest is known or should have been known.”
About the only good thing coming from continuing the partial government shutdown might be less traffic, but the costs keep mounting. One fallout is the loss in revenue to federal contractors, especially in the Washington, D.C. region. To find out just how much loss that is, Bloomberg Government analyst Paul Murphy joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
Source: Shutdown costs mounting with contractors’ lost revenue
A new estimate from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said there were about $2.3 billion in government contracts that would have been issued to small firms over the past month, but weren’t because of the government shutdown. The analysis is based on 2018 data from agencies affected by the shutdown. Last year, those agencies signed $29 billion in contracts to 41,000 small businesses. (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
Source: Shutdown has cost small businesses $2.3 billion – Federal News Network
Federal contracting shops, including government wide acquisition vehicles and the General Services Administration, are preparing for an uptick in orders from agencies in the coming days as they get back up to speed following the shutdown.
Source: What’s next for procurement after the shutdown? — FCW
Unlike people who work directly for the government, contractors face more bureaucratic hurdles before their work can resume, experts say.
Source: For federal contractors, the shutdown isn’t quite over
While federal workers may be breathing a short sigh of relief now that the partial shutdown is over, contractors still are weeks from feeling relaxed.
The 35-day partial government shutdown undoubtedly pushed project milestones, due dates for solicitations and overall government spending well to the right. While all of these delays impact vendors, the real sigh of relief will come when agencies rescind stop work orders so contractors can send their employees back to work.
Source: The post-shutdown chaotic wave is days from hitting many contractors – Federal News Network
The new law, called the Small Business Runway Extension Act, was signed by President Trump earlier this month.
Source: New law designed to change how gov’t handles small biz programs
GovWin’s report on all states’ funds and budgets provides in-depth data and analysis to help government contractors across all sectors.
This report is designed to help vendors assess state governments’ overall budget size for past, current, and future years for purposes of strategic business development planning including:
- Assessment of the overall budget size by state and function of government
- Budget forecasts for each individual state
- Forecasts by government function across 12 vertical markets
Source: [Free Summary] State Budget Report, Outlook for 2019 and Beyond
Now that Fiscal Year 2018 is behind us and federal agencies have recorded their contract spending, it’s a good time to take stock of the past year, revisit what happened, and examine what we learned to compete effectively in federal government contracting in 2019. In this session, we will review the major stories from last year, how the market performed, and what’s in store for the rest of 2019. We’ll look at the fastest-growing agencies and companies and the biggest contract awards. We’ll also share some of the major enhancements to GovWin IQ that can help subscribers succeed in the coming year.
Join us as SVP of Research Kevin Plexico provides key insights from 2018 and his perspective on what they mean for the year to come. Highlights include:
- Market recap of FY 2018
- Government contracting implications for FY 2019
- Contract awards and acquisitions to watch
- Enhancements to GovWin IQ
Unsure if you’ll be able to attend live? Register and we’ll send you a link to the recording after the event date.
Source: Event Registration
Angela Styles, partner at Bracewell LLP, joined Off the Shelf this week for a wide-ranging discussion of some of the key trends shaping the federal procurement landscape.