Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

How government contracting is still suffering from the shutdown

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The longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended in January 2019, but businesses that contract with the federal government are still seeing damaging effects for themselves and their employees months later, according to witnesses who testified at a May 6 House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing.

“Everyone thinks the shutdown ended on the 25th [of January]. The shutdown ended on the 25th for government employees.  The shutdown didn’t end for our employees until we got a letter from the contracting officer authorizing us to come back to work,” said Roger Krone, CEO of Leidos.

“Where it may have been 35 days for government employees, it could be another 14 days or more for contractors.  Because the contracting officer had to come to work, get through the pile of paper, figure out what contracts were under a stop work order, and then prioritize those and authorize the contractors to come back.”

Federal employees were guaranteed back pay for the time they were forced to stay home from work or work without pay during a shutdown.  But contractors received stop-work orders or were unable to access the resources necessary for their contracts, and never received compensation for that time they were unable to go to work.

Continue reading at the: Federal Times

New bill wants to speed up small biz payments

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Four House lawmakers have introduced legislation that would shorten the amount of time small business wait to get paid by federal agencies for work done on contract.

Under the proposed “Accelerated Payments for Small Businesses Act,” small businesses working as prime contractors or subcontractors would get paid within 15 days versus the current standard of 30 days.

Reps. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Jason Crow (D-Colorado) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) introduced the bill in a move that comes nearly three months after the end of a five-week partial government shutdown that shuttered many civilian agencies.

Continue reading at: Washington Technology

How DUNS number changes could affect your business

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Businesses of all sizes should know of a significant change in the way government grants and contracts will be handled.  The General Services Administration (“GSA”) announced in an interview with Nextgov.com that they are changing vendors for their federal contractor numbering system – better known as the DUNS (“Data Universal Numbering System”).  The system update won’t likely look different for companies right away, but here’s what you should know moving forward.

What is the DUNS?

The Data Universal Numbering System is a long-held practice for assigning businesses or organizations a unique identifier that can be used when applying for grants or contract opportunities through the government.  The GSA runs contracting programs is the agency responsible for making sure businesses follow correct procedures when looking to be awarded government business – including ensuring their application includes a valid DUNS.

Since 1962, Dun & Bradstreet has managed much of the system, including the DUNS program – an addition to the system brought about by regulation in 1998.  For twenty years, D&B has held the contract for managing validation and records.  That all changed last year when the GSA announced they were opening up the role to competing bids.

Continue reading the article at: Nav Blog

New OHA decision regarding class waivers of the non-manufacturer rule creates uncertainty

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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 future.  That rule applies to bid protests at both the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) and the Court of Federal Claims.  In Size Appeal of Cypher Analytics, Inc. d/b/a Crown Point Systems, SBA No. SIZ-5986 (2019), the Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Office of Hearings and Appeals (“OHA”) recently showed that the general rule does not necessarily apply to SBA size protests.

Continue reading the article at: Government Contracts Insights

GSA moves forward with plan to consolidate the federal supply schedule program

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The General Services Administration (“GSA”) currently operates 24 Multiple Award Schedules (“MAS”), under which it awards largely pre-negotiated contracts on largely commercial-item terms for a dizzying array of products and services.  The current schedules are organized by industry or type of service, with individual schedules covering areas both broad (Schedule 70, IT procurement), narrow (Schedule 78, sports equipment, signs and trophies), and potentially duplicative (Schedule 71, furniture/Schedule 72, furnishings and floor coverings).  The GSA recently announced that it will abolish this fractured landscape.  Rather than maintain its current 24 MAS rubrics as separate entities, GSA announced it will consolidate all 24 into a single schedule.  Stephanie Shutt, the Director of GSA’s MAS Program Management Office, described this change as part of a “mass reform project” to “ensure MAS is easy, efficient, and modern.”  This announcement impacts all contractors with this type of schedule contract and will dramatically alter the process by which contractors apply for and government stakeholders purchase from GSA schedules.

Continue reading this article at: Arnold & Porter website

U.S. Government issues definition of “recruitment fees” in FAR anti-trafficking regulations

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The Department of Defense (“DoD”), General Services Administration (“GSA”), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”) recently issued a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) to clarify the FAR’s prohibition on assessing employees with recruitment fees in connection with federal contracts.  The rule provides a final definition of “recruitment fees” and clarifies the FAR’s broad prohibition on federal contractors or subcontractors assessing employees or potential employees with any such fees.  The final rule brings long-awaited clarity to the scope of the prohibition on recruitment fees, as the term has not previously been defined in anti-trafficking regulations.

Keep reading this article at: Arnold & Porter website

SBA and Atlanta MBDA to host 8(a) training event May 13th

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The SBA Georgia District Office and Atlanta MBDA Business and Advanced Manufacturing Centers will be jointly hosting a half-day event related to the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program.  The purpose of the event is to foster new 8(a) applicants and to provide instruction to current 8(a) participants on how to maximize the impact of their 8(a) program experience.  The event will also provide training on how 8(a) participants can prepare for transitioning out of the program successfully at the end of their program term.

Topics Include:

  • The Federal Contracting Market and the 8(a) Program
  • 8(a) Program Best Practices
  • 8(a) Program Eligibility and Application Process
  • Effective Marketing to Federal Agencies
  • Capacity Building Tools / Resources for Current 8(a) Participants

There is no fee to attend.  But seats are limited, so registration is required.

Date:  Monday, May 13, 2019

Time:  9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

Location:  Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center, 250 14th Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

Register here:  https://www.sba.gov/event/1640787

GTPAC to host Atlanta government contracting day on May 21st

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Are you interested in doing business with the government?  Are you already doing business with the government?  If so, please join us as we celebrate government contracting on May 21, 2019, at the Global Learning Center, 84 5th Street NW, Atlanta GA.  GTPAC Counselors will introduce themselves and will provide special presentations on emerging government contracting issues.  GTPAC Counselors will also take questions from the audience related to government contracting.  GTPAC and its resource partners will also provide information about their services and programs.  Contractors will also have an opportunity to network and meet with other vendors and attendees!

Date:  5/21/2019

Time:  9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (EDT)

Location:  Global Learning Center, 84 5th Street NW, Atlanta GA

Presenters:  To be determined.

Admission is free, but pre-registration is required as seating is limited.

Registration:  Go to https://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/events/8687 and click “Sign Up”

If you have any questions, reach out to Andrew Smith at andrew.smith@innovate.gatech.edu 

Attend Augusta Government Contracting Day on April 22nd

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Are you interested in doing business with the government?  Would you like to learn about federal contracting assistance programs, such as the Women-Owned Small Business program, the Service-disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program, the 8(a) Business Development program, the All Small Mentor-Protégé program, and the HUBZone program?  Are you interested in learning about how to find, bid on and win government contracting opportunities at the federal, state and local level?  If so, please join us at the Augusta Government Contracting Day, on April 22nd at the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library, 823 Telfair Street in Augusta, GA.  GTPAC Counselors will provide a general overview of how the government buys goods and services and will take questions from the audience on all aspects of government contracting.  We will also provide information on free resources that are available to help your business win government contracts.

Date:  4/22/2019

Time:  9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (EDT)

Location:  Augusta-Richmond County Public Library, 823 Telfair Street, Augusta GA 30901

Presenters:  To be determined.

Admission is free, but pre-registration is required as seating is limited.

Registration:  Go to https://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/events/8684 and click “Sign Up”

If you have any questions, reach out to Andrew Smith at andrew.smith@innovate.gatech.edu 

Pentagon auditors advised to better monitor contractor business systems

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The Defense Department’s management and auditing sub-agencies need to clarify their roles and improve the timeliness of their examinations of contractor accounting, estimating and purchasing systems, a watchdog found.

“DoD currently lacks a mechanism based on relevant and reliable information, such as the number of [contractor business system] reviews that are outstanding, the risk level assigned to those systems, and the resources available to conduct such reviews,” the Government Accountability Office wrote in a report released on February 8th.

Citing directives from Congress over the past decade, GAO reviewed data from the Defense Contract Management Agency and the Defense Contract Audit Agency and found that the DCAA, for example, conducted few business system audits in the past six years, due, in part, to the need for it to reduce its backlog on completing incurred cost audits.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/defense/2019/02/pentagon-auditors-advised-better-monitor-contractor-business-systems/154758/

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