On September 15, 2023, Ultima Services (Ultima) filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee seeking additional equitable relief in its suit challenging the constitutionality of the Small...more
Government contractors maintaining or seeking HUBZone certification should make themselves aware of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) recent efforts to tighten and enforce new and existing rules surrounding the...more
Contractors get feedback from the government all the time. It’s a much rarer occasion when contractors are afforded the opportunity to give the government feedback. The Federal Acquisition Regulation Council (FAR Council) is...more
Small Business Administration (SBA) Releases Interim Guidance to 8(a) Program Participants in Light of Lower Court Ruling -
The SBA released interim guidance regarding the 8(a) Business Development Program in light of a...more
PilieroMazza presents a series of blogs exploring the intricacies of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program. This first installment covers the Biden Administration’s AM...more
Department of Labor (DOL) Announces Final Rule to Modernize Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) -
The DOL announced the issuance of the final rule “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation” to update regulations that...more
8/17/2023
/ Bid Protests ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Davis-Bacon Act ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Mentor-Protege Program ,
SBA ,
Ukraine
On July 27, 2023, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released its Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda (Agenda) summarizing nine current and projected rulemakings. Notably, the SBA identified these rules as likely to have a...more
BID PROTESTS -
GAO Sustains Protests of CIO-SP4 Procurement -
On June 29, 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained protesters’ challenge of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National...more
PilieroMazza recently shared the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) new rules: (1) Small Business Lending Company (SBLC) Moratorium Rescission and Removal of the Requirement for a Loan Authorization (Moratorium Rule) and...more
The Court of Federal Claims (COFC) recently interpreted FAR Clause 52.204-7, which requires offerors to register in the System for Award Management (SAM), to indicate that even a slight lapse in a contractor’s SAM...more
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS -
Polaris Contract Paused Again: COFC Stops GSA from Evaluating Proposals -
The Court of Federal Claims recently enjoined the General Services Administration (GSA) from evaluating proposals and...more
Pentagon Wants Authority to Start Work on New Technologies Without Congressional Approval -
In recent years, Congress has passed several pieces of legislation meant to speed up the Defense Department’s (DOD) acquisition...more
5/12/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
SBA ,
Small Business
The Court of Federal Claims (COFC or Court) recently enjoined the General Services Administration (GSA) from evaluating proposals and awarding contracts under the highly publicized Polaris Program. While the decision impacts...more
As contemplated by PilieroMazza’s recent blog, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a notice and request for comments on a new requirement for software producers to provide self-attestations...more
SBA’s New Lending Rules Improve Small Business Growth Opportunities -
On April 12, 2023, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) published two new rules: (1) Small Business Lending Company (SBLC) Moratorium Rescission...more
On April 12, 2023, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) published two new rules: (1) Small Business Lending Company (SBLC) Moratorium Rescission and Removal of the Requirement for a Loan Authorization (Moratorium...more
CONSTRUCTION -
DOL: Biden-Harris Administration Launches Initiative to Promote Equal Opportunity, Expand Workforce for Federally Funded Jobs in Large Infrastructure Projects -
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced...more
3/30/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
DFARS ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Joint Venture ,
SBA ,
Subcontractors ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Vaccinations
Crackdown on Pandemic Fraud: Impact on Small Business Government Contractors -
On March 2, 2023, the White House announced that President Biden intends to ask Congress for $1.6 billion to combat ongoing fraud related to...more
3/17/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
HUBZone ,
OSHA ,
SBA ,
Small Business
On February 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry Security (BIS) amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 C.F.R. §§ 730 et seq.) list (Entity List) by adding six China-based entities. The...more
On March 2, 2023, the White House announced that President Biden intends to ask Congress for $1.6 Billion to combat ongoing fraud related to COVID relief programs, referred to as “pandemic fraud.” This comes in the wake of...more
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS -
Veterans Affairs Imposes Increased Cybersecurity Rules on Government Contractors -
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a final rule, effective February 24, 2023, amending the...more
3/2/2023
/ Cybersecurity ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
DFARS ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
NASA ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
SBA ,
Subcontractors
Almost two years ago, Executive Order 14028 – Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity (EO) was issued requiring a host of actions be taken by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council, the National Institute of Standards...more
SBA Releases Preview of New HUBZone Maps Effective July 1, 2023 -
HUBZone contractors have been anxiously awaiting updates to the HUBZone maps. In 2021, the Small Business Administration (SBA) extended the “freeze” on the...more
1/30/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
HUBZone ,
OMB ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
SCOTUS ,
Small Business ,
U.S. Treasury
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT -
Remedies for NLRA Violations Now Include Consequential Damages: Important Takeaways for Employers -
Last year, the National Labor Relations Board, the agency tasked with enforcing employee rights...more
1/20/2023
/ Back Pay ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Minimum Wage ,
NASA ,
NLRA ,
SBA ,
Vaccinations ,
Veterans
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering oversees the Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. In September,...more