AFCEA West is the most happening event on the Navy IT circuit. The sunny San Diego weather draws a big crowd every February and it’s an excellent place to talk shop, learn about the latest Navy and Marine Corps trends and opportunities and soak up the California sun – despite the rain this year!
Source: OTAs and Cloud: Hot Topics at AFCEA WEST | Government Sales Insider
Many GAO protests can hinge on fairly minute details that render a proposal unacceptable. A recent GAO case is a reminder that a contractor’s GSA Federal Supply Schedule must have sufficient duration to cover the period of performance for a blanket purchase agreement or the contractor may be ineligible for award.
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (part of the Commerce Department) issued an RFQ (Request for Quotation) for weather and climate computing infrastructure services. The solicitation was issued as an SBA 8(a) small business set-aside and award was to be made to the vendor whose quotation represented the best value to the Government, considering (i) technical approach, (ii) corporate experience, and (iii) price.
The perception that bid protests are mucking up the federal procurement process is one of those urban myths that will not die, like how Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966 or that the Air Force hides away UFOs in the desert.
Source: GSA launches enhanced debriefing pilot, but why not make it permanent?
It is decently well established that GAO will recommend protesters be reimbursed for protest related costs when an agency unduly delays in taking prompt corrective action. In a recent GAO decision, however, the Navy argued the question of undue delay should be evaluated from the time the Navy fully understood the extent of its error, not the initiation of the protest.
Here’s a post that will be of interest to major contractors – those contractors charging $100 million or more to cost type (CPFF, CPIF, FPI, T&M, etc) contracts annually.
A low level debate is rumbling within the Defense Department and with its contractors having to do with progress and performance based payments. Services contractors see the need for some change but urge the department to go carefully. Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain why it matters.
Everyone involved with government contracting knows, or should know, a little bit about registration in SAM.gov. Registration is now required for ALL federal contractors at the time they submit bids.
This blog post provides you with 5 things you should know about registering in SAM.gov.
Source: Five Things You Should Know: Registering in SAM.gov | SmallGovCon – Government Contracts Law Blog
In evaluating proposals, an agency will sometimes use “adjectival ratings” (e.g., Excellent, Good, Acceptable) to describe its assessment of a proposal or portions of a proposal. But, importantly, an agency cannot evade its responsibility to reasonably evaluate proposals–based on the articulated evaluation criteria–by deferring solely to the assigned adjectival ratings.
Appendix A to the DFARS (DoD FAR Supplement) contains the charter and rules for the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA). Contractors considering an appeal of a contracting officers’ decision should become familiar with these rules, even where an attorney has been retained. Familiarization with the rules will assist in understanding the process and the purposes for which attorney’s do what they do.
Source: PNWC’s Government Contracting Update: What is the ASBCA’s Jurisdiction?