Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

HHS shuts down assisted acquisition services

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The Department of Health and Human Services’ Program Support Center handles more than $1.4 billion in contracts for other agencies as part of its assisted acquisition services offering.

Program Support Center customer agencies include the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Special Counsel, the Environmental Protection Agency and most notably the Defense Department.  In fact, DoD accounts for about $1 billion of that total.

Unfortunately for those and many other agencies, HHS is pulling the rug out from under them at possibly the worst time.

Internal memos obtained by Federal News Network show HHS decided to stop offering assisted acquisition services on June 14 just as agencies were gearing up for the fourth quarter buying season, one which many experts say will be even busier than normal because of the 35-day government shutdown.

This means all new acquisitions are stopped, including a $150 million multiple-award contract PSC was close to awarding for EPA and numerous in-process contracts for DoD.

It also means that any award made over the last four years must be moved to other agencies or absorbed by the home agency by Sept. 30, 2020.  This basically gives agencies 15 months to move existing contracts.

The reason HHS gave for immediately discontinuing its assisted acquisition services:  “As the result of an internal review that is ongoing, PSC has determined that it does not have the policies, procedures or internal controls necessary to conduct assisted acquisitions for agencies outside of HHS,” the agency wrote in a memo to civilian agency customers.

In a similar memo to DoD customers, HHS said it can no longer certify that it complies with the requirement in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 17.7 and in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act that “requires the heads of all non-DoD agencies that provide acquisition support to DoD to certify that their respective non-Defense agencies will comply with defense procurement requirements for fiscal 2019 for assisted acquisitions executed on behalf of DoD in FY 2019.”

Continue reading at:  Federal News Network

Dept. of Health & Human Services holding small business outreach event in Nashville on Feb. 11

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are hosting a Small Business Outreach Event in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, February 11, 2019. 

The purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity for small businesses to build relationships, interact, learn how to engage, and network with the Department’s procurement officials, other federal agencies, and HHS’s top 25 prime contractors. 

In addition, small businesses will have the opportunity to participate in one-on-one matchmaking with various HHS procurement and prime contractors.  Vendors will be vetted in advance to ensure a fit that will benefit both small businesses and the HHS program officials.

Who should attend?

Small businesses interested in learning about federal procurement opportunities and doing business with HHS.

Why should I attend?
  • Familiarize small businesses with the processes and procedures associated with federal government contracting.
  • Gain insight on identifying and pursuing contract opportunities with HHS.
  • An opportunity to network and learn how to do business with the Department, prime contractors and other Federal agencies.
  • Consider HHS spent over $24 billion dollars in contracts last year; $5 billion of them in prime contracts to small businesses.
TIME: 

On-site check-in will open at 7:00 am on Monday, Feb. 11, 2019.  The event will begin at 9:00 am and conclude at 3:00 pm.

LOCATION: 

Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center
2800 Opryland Drive
Nashville, Tennessee 37214

COST: 

Free – there is no cost to register*
*Additional costs related to lunch and co-located events are optional.

REGISTRATION:

For businesses, there is a limit of 2 representatives per company per event. Please note that the total registration is limited.

Pre-registration is required and limited. Registration will close when it is full. A registration link is provided at http://www.cvent.com/d/4bqvyj.

If you register and cannot attend, please cancel your registration as soon as possible so that someone on the wait list can participate.

QUESTIONS:

If you have questions regarding the event, please contact conference support at OS B2BMail@hhs.gov or (202) 690-7300.

OTHER INFORMATION:

You will also have the opportunity to elect to participate in matchmaking/counseling appointments with representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other government agencies.

The event is also being held in conjunction/co-located with the 2019 National 8(a) Association Small Business Conference and American Express Contract Connections.

DoD and other agencies seek to enhance contractors’ cyber and supply chain security

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The Department of Defense (DoD) and its component services and agencies are taking several independent steps to assess and enhance their cyber and supply chain security that will directly or indirectly affect DoD contractors and subcontractors.

Other federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Commerce, and General Services Administration (GSA), are also considering or implementing measures to enhance cyber and supply chain security that will directly or indirectly affect government contractors and their supply chains.

These initiatives will intensify scrutiny of government contractors and subcontractors, increase their cyber and supply chain security compliance requirements, and affect their ability to compete for, and win, government contracts. This article summarizes these initiatives and states our view that, despite the proposal and likely adoption of a comprehensive new Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) cybersecurity clause next year, federal government contractors and subcontractors are likely to face multiple, overlapping, and possibly conflicting cybersecurity and supply chain requirements for some time to come.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=767144

See GTPAC’s video, template and other resources designed to help contractors comply with the DoD/NIST cybersecurity rules at: http://gtpac.org/cybersecurity-training-video/

10 problems DHS wants innovative small businesses to solve in 2019

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The Homeland Security Department released a list of 10 bleeding-edge research areas it plans to pursue in fiscal 2019 in partnership with innovative small businesses.

The department’s Science and Technology Directorate and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office announced Friday the tentative list of technical areas for this year’s Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, program. In the coming year, Homeland Security SBIR officials are proposing research into topics including using drones to detect radiological threats, sharing cyber threat data, using blockchain for forensic analysis, and advanced identity management—from DNA to cyberspace.

“The SBIR program provides an opportunity for innovative small businesses to find solutions that meet the technology needs of the department’s operational components and the nation’s first responders,” William Bryan, senior official performing the duties of the undersecretary for science and technology, said in the announcement.

Homeland Security’s SBIR program obligated almost $250 million across 805 awards from its start in 2004 through 2015, the latest year with data available on the SBIR.gov dashboard. The program hit its height in 2006 with almost $29.9 million in funds obligated to 95 projects.

In 2015, Homeland Security’s program obligated $20.7 million to 48 projects. This amount is relatively small when compared to the largest SBIR awarders that year: the Energy Department at $193.6 million, Health and Human Services at $714.4 million and the Defense Department at $956.9 million.

The list for 2019 includes eight topics under the Science and Technology Directorate and two more under the CWMD office’s program.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2018/12/10-problems-dhs-wants-innovative-small-businesses-solve-2019/153230/

Georgia Tech’s ATDC hosting healthcare summit Sept. 12th

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Georgia Tech’s  Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the longest-running state-sponsored startup incubator in the country, has been chosen as one of eight stops on a national “Startup Day” tour for federal health officials to connect with tech startups.

The ATDC Federal Healthcare Innovation Summit, which will be held September 12, will allow entrepreneurs and technologists to connect with representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

The federal government spends more on healthcare than any other single entity in the country, about 28.3 percent of the total national health expenditure in 2016. That’s compared to 28.1 percent spent by individual households, 19.9 percent by private businesses and 16.9 percent by state or local government. Those hundreds of billions present a massive market opportunity for startups to make operations more efficient and streamlined with new technologies.

The capstone of the Federal Healthcare Innovation Summit will be a “Shark Tank”-type pitch event where startups can share their products and services with HHS officials, including the agency’s Chief Technology officer Edward Simcox, for feedback. 

The Summit, to be held from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, requires preregistration.  You can register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/atdcs-federal-healthcare-innovation-summit-tickets-49397520313

Company and officers to pay $1.9 million to settle False Claims Act SBIR allegations

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Maryland-based MassTech, Inc., its former Chief Executive Officer, Arnold Lee, and its former Chief Financial Officer, Richard Lee, have agreed to pay the United States $1.9 million to resolve allegations that MassTech falsely certified it was a small business concern in order to obtain Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards.

The settlement agreement was announced on May 3, 2018.

 

The SBIR program is a set-aside program for small businesses.  The purpose of the SBIR program is to strengthen the role of small business concerns in federally funded research and development and to increase private sector commercialization.  To receive SBIR funds, each awardee of an SBIR Phase I or II award must qualify as a small business at the time of the award as well as throughout the duration of the award.  To be eligible, the small business and its affiliates collectively must have fewer than 500 employees.  According to the settlement agreement, the government alleged that MassTech, Arnold Lee, and Richard Lee falsely represented to the National Science Foundation (NSF), to NASA, and to the Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) that MassTech was an eligible small business concern at the time of the SBIR application as well as throughout the lifecycle of the award.  As a result, NSF, NASA, and HHS approved and funded SBIR awards to MassTech that MassTech otherwise would not have received.  MassTech, Arnold Lee, and Richard Lee denied the United States’ allegations.

NSF’s Office of Inspector General, the NASA Office of Inspector General, and the HHS Office of Inspector General worked in the investigation.  The settlement agreement was announced by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/masstech-richard-lee-and-arnold-lee-pay-us-19-million-settle-false-claims-act-allegations

‘Big challenge’ ahead for procurement, grants reporting under DATA Act

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It took federal agencies’ four years to go from introduction to implementation of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, so what will it take to get 2,300 grant-making programs and 3,200 procurement offices to do the same?

The Office of Management and Budget recommends three steps to help expedite the process: continue to standardize data, use auto-populating technology, and use IT open standards for developing any new tools needed along the way.

The recommendations are part of OMB’s recent report on the DATA Act’s two-part Section 5 pilot, which covers federal grants and federal contracts. The grants pilot ended, but the procurement side will continue through February.

“The procurement pilot demonstrates that burden is reduced and efficiencies are achieved when data already provided to the federal government is re-used,” OMB said. “The procurement pilot results also demonstrate that reporting can be streamlined when technology standards are open. The grants test pilots demonstrate that the following conditions can reduce recipients’ burden: (I) required reporting data elements are defined in a central open repository, (2) reported data is collected centrally, (3) data can be re-used and auto populated across government, and (4) available resources explain requirements and business processes where needed.”

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/open-datatransparency/2017/08/a-big-challenge-ahead-for-procurement-grants-reporting-under-data-act/

An easy way to explore how changes in federal spending affect a contractor

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The U.S. federal government agreed to spend $262 billion with its top 100 contractors in 2016.

A billion here, a billion there — pretty soon you’re talking about real money, right?  So changes in how the government allocates funds can have a significant impact on supplier companies.

Consider President Trump’s proposed defense budget. For the fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1, it would provide $574 billion to the Pentagon (not including an additional $65 billion for overseas contingency operations). That’s a 10 percent increase from the last full-year budget, and some of that could flow to defense contractors. Which ones, though?

Here’s how to dig into that question and find the companies most exposed to changes in government spending, the details of government contracts, and the supply chain of each contractor.

To get insight into government policy from Bloomberg Government, first go to https://about.bgov.com/government-contracting.  BGOV follows and interprets legislation, regulation, government spending, lobbying, and campaign finance through the lens of industries and companies, enabling you to generate investment ideas and mitigate risk.

To analyze 2018 budget proposals and potentially identify winners and losers, select FY18 Skinny Budget for information on the White House’s preliminary budget outline and how it differs from the fiscal year 2017 budget.  Proposed increases in defense spending would be subsidized by potential cuts in funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the departments of State, Education, and Health & Human Services.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-19/an-easy-way-to-explore-how-changes-in-u-s-federal-spending-affect-a-contractor

See the Top 10 federal contract opportunities, updated weekly, here: https://about.bgov.com/?s=+Top+20+Opportunities

 

GSA creates Schedule SIN for health IT services

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Health Information Technology (IT) is one of the fastest-growing fields in the IT industry, in part due to a spurt of government technology modernization initiatives. After seeing skyrocketing demand across federal government agencies for the past several years, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) decided to prioritize Health IT as its own separate category within GSA Schedule 70 by establishing Health IT Special Item Number (SIN) 132-56.

The new SIN was officially established on August 1, 2016. It is the first SIN of its kind directly correlated to Health IT in compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

This new SIN category will give Health IT companies access to business with federal government agencies including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Defense Health Agency (a joint integrated Combat Support Agency that enables the U.S Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force medical services to provide a medically ready force and ready medical force to Combatant Commands in both peacetime and wartime). As military and civilian healthcare reforms take effect, GSA expects these agencies’ demand to continue to grow.

Part of the justification for establishing a separate category is that Health IT is truly different — in that companies involved in the Health IT industry require very specific skillsets and have to comply with various healthcare security standards, including the Privacy Act of 1974, Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).

Keep reading this article at: http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/gsa-has-created-a-separate-category-for-55952/

COFC awards enhanced attorney fees in protest following ‘egregious’ agency conduct

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The exceptional nature of a contract protest case was demonstrated in a recent decision made by the Court of Federal Claims (COFC).

In the case, Starry Associates, Inc. v. United States, the COFC awarded “enhanced” attorney fees to plaintiff’s counsel due to the agency’s cancellation of the solicitation which the court characterized as “capricious” and “reflect[ing] a lack of fidelity to the procurement process.”

The contract’s cancellation resulted in multiple GAO protests, a hearing at GAO, multiple depositions of agency officials during a follow-on protest at the Court, and a decision enjoining the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) from cancelling the solicitation

Read about this rare rebuke of a federal agency by the COFC at: https://www.insidegovernmentcontracts.com/2017/04/cofc-awards-enhanced-attorney-fees-in-protest-following-egregious-agency-conduct/

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