The Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) is a successful initiative that increases the participation of small business concerns in federally funded research and development. Awards under Phases I and II of the...more
6/10/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Bid Protests ,
Contract Terms ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Funding ,
GAO ,
Government Agencies ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
SBIRs ,
Small Business ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
STTR ,
Technology Sector
The latest part of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to undergo a rewrite is FAR Part 10, which addresses market research for acquisitions. The General Services Administration has already adopted the new Part 10 via...more
5/28/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Competition ,
Contract Terms ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Government Agencies ,
Market Research ,
New Guidance ,
New Regulations ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Small Business
We continue our discussion of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) recent final rule on various small business programs. We previously discussed SBA’s changes to the effect of recertifications under multiple award...more
We continue our discussion of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) recent final rule on various small business programs. We previously discussed SBA’s changes to the effect of recertifications under multiple award...more
On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The annual bill authorizes spending for the Department of Defense (DOD) while setting other...more
1/9/2025
/ Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals ,
Bid Protests ,
Court of Federal Claims ,
Defense Contracts ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Contractors ,
GAO ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Joe Biden ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Secretary of Defense ,
Small Business ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Secrets
We continue our discussion of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) recent final rule on various small business programs. Today, we focus on revisions to the regulations governing size protests and requests for formal...more
1/8/2025
/ Bid Protests ,
Competition ,
Compliance ,
Contract Terms ,
Deadlines ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Final Rules ,
Government Agencies ,
HUBZone ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Protests ,
Recertification ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SBA ,
Set-Asides ,
Small Business
In a lengthy and complex effort, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a final rule on December 17, 2024, that amended many requirements related to small business contracting. As with most rules, there are some...more
12/19/2024
/ BPA ,
Buyers ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Investment ,
Minority Shareholders ,
Recertification ,
SBA ,
SDVOSB ,
Set-Aside Contracts ,
Shareholders ,
Small Business ,
Women-Owned Businesses
Nearly a year ago, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) no later than July 1, 2024, “to...more
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued a policy memorandum with a goal of promoting small business participation under multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts (MACs). One of the...more
Small business regulations create one of the stickier wickets in bid protest litigation. Although the Small Business Administration (SBA) has exclusive authority to determine a company’s size and socioeconomic status, the...more
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued a final rule amending its regulation on lower-tier small business subcontracting credit to account for statutory changes introduced in the National Defense Authorization Act...more
Recent changes to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations affect how large businesses can take small business credit for subcontracting to their own mentor-protégé joint ventures (MPJVs). SBA’s final rule...more
Some of you may recall the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 from nearly a decade ago. It amended the Small Business Act (SBA) to allow a contractor, under certain circumstances, to receive...more
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued an important new decision in the protest of AttainX,Inc ., B-421216, B-421216.2, Jan. 23, 2023, 2023 WL 1860802. The decision addresses how agencies must evaluate the...more
The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) popular shields from affiliation for all-small and mentor-protégé joint ventures are powerful tools for helping small businesses succeed in the federal procurement marketplace. These...more
As of this posting, Congress has not yet reauthorized the popular Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Given the broad bipartisan support for these programs, most...more
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently promulgated a final rule addressing past performance ratings for small business joint venture members and small business first-tier subcontractors. The rule, which will go...more
Earlier this week, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a Final Rule adopting changes to how a concern calculates its number of employees for eligibility purposes in all of SBA’s programs, as well as how a...more
After a five-year wait, small business subcontracting rules that the Small Business Administration (SBA) promulgated in 2016 will finally appear in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and new solicitations. Chief among...more
Both houses of Congress now have voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021. Although the threat of a presidential veto still hangs over the NDAA, we highlight below a few of the...more
12/15/2020
/ Bid Protests ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
DFARS ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financing ,
NDAA ,
Progress Payments ,
SBA ,
Small Business ,
Software ,
Subcontractors
As we recently discussed, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has published a long-awaited rule that made important changes to numerous small business contracting programs and the rules Federal agencies must follow...more
The Small Business Administration (SBA) today issued a significant final rule addressing numerous issues of interest to Federal contractors. With one exception, the rule will take effect on November 16, 2020. We anticipate...more
Those familiar with Federal procurements know the general rule: If you submit a proposal against a solicitation despite disagreeing with one of its provisions, you usually waive the right to challenge that provision in the...more
One of the easiest small business affiliation rules to apply is that a person that owns “50 percent or more of a concern’s voting stock . . . controls or has the power to control the concern.” 13 C.F.R. § 121.103(c)(1). It...more
In response to President Trump’s Executive Order to reduce regulatory burdens and control regulatory costs, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed a rule to amend its regulations for the Historically...more