Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Holding government contractors responsible for cybersecurity is trickier than it sounds

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The federal government wants to hold defense contractors accountable for the cybersecurity of their supply chains but that’s no easy feat, experts said recently.

On March 26th, industry representatives told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee about attempting to tackle cyber threats as a federal contractor. Much of the hearing was focused on one specific issue: increasingly complex levels of supply chains make it difficult for prime contractor to ensure all subcontractors are upholding cybersecurity protections. And that ever-lengthening chain increases the possibility of compromised information or cyberattacks.

“I don’t know why we don’t hold the larger contractors who are responsible for the contract to make sure the subcontractors they are hiring have protections,” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., said. “Somebody has to be held accountable.”

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2019/03/holding-government-contractors-responsible-cybersecurity-trickier-it-sounds/155862/

Here are the Georgia businesses who won federal contracts in Mar. 2019

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Ever wonder who’s winning federal contracts in Georgia?
Wouldn’t this information be helpful if you are looking for subcontracting prospects?  Or when you’re trying to figure out who your competitors are?  Or when considering who might be a good partner on an upcoming bid proposal?

federal-contract-award-winners-in-georgiaEach and every month, the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) compiles and publishes a list of federal contracts awarded to Georgia businesses.  The list comes complete with point-of-contact information on the awardees, the name of the awarding agency, the dollar value of the contract, and much more.

Download details on the federal contract award winners in Georgia during MARCH 2019 right here: FEDERAL CONTRACT AWARDS IIN GEORGIA – MARCH 2019

Here are the Georgia companies who won federal contracts February 2019: 
Contract winners from previous years are archived below:

To see award winners in Calendar Year 2018, see: https://gtpac.org/2019/01/02/here-are-the-georgia-businesses-who-won-federal-contracts-in-2018

To see award winners in Calendar Year 2017, see: http://gtpac.org/2018/01/01/here-are-the-georgia-businesses-who-won-federal-contracts-in-2017

To see award winners in Calendar Year 2016, see: http://gtpac.org/2017/01/02/here-are-the-georgia-businesses-who-won-federal-contracts-in-2016

To see award winners in Calendar Year 2015, see: http://gtpac.org/2016/01/04/here-are-the-georgia-businesses-who-won-federal-contracts-in-2015

To see award winners in Calendar Year 2014, see: http://gtpac.org/2015/01/here-are-the-georgia-companies-who-won-federal-contracts-in-2014 

The definition of a subcontractor, and why it matters

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What is a subcontractor?

The answer to this question seems obvious – a subcontractor is a contractor that contracts with the prime contractor to perform a scope of work on a construction project.

However, it is not always easy to distinguish a subcontractor from a materials supplier (sometimes referred to as a “materialman”). That distinction is important in the context of claims by lower-tier subcontractors or materials suppliers on payment bonds, such as those provided by prime contractors on federal and state public works projects. That is, a lower-tier subcontractor or materials supplier may not be entitled to recovery from a payment bond if its contract is with a materials supplier instead of a subcontractor. Therefore, identifying the role of the party with whom a contractor is contracting is a key task the prudent contractor will perform at the outset of a project.

This distinction is most important in the context of federal public works projects. For those projects, the Miller Act restricts claimants on payment bonds to those who had a contract with the prime contractor and those who had a contract with a subcontractor, provided that in the latter case the claimant provides notice to the prime contractor. In other words, if a firm has a contract with a materials supplier, as opposed to a subcontractor, the firm does not have entitlement to payment under the bond. Courts look at the “total relationship” between the parties to determine if the party in question is a subcontractor or materials supplier.

Courts have applied a balancing test to make this determination, with some factors weighing in favor of a subcontractor relationship and other factors weighing in favor of a materials supplier relationship.

Keep reading this article at: https://idahobusinessreview.com/2019/02/28/the-definition-of-a-subcontractor-and-why-it-matters/

Number of small business prime contractors down by 25 percent since 2010

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Federal agencies met the governmentwide small business goal for the fourth straight year in fiscal 2016. Last year also saw a $9 billion increase in the total of prime contracts going to small firms.

What these numbers aren’t showing, and what should really worry the Small Business Administration and the broader contracting community, is the number of small businesses winning prime contracts is dramatically down.

Deltek, the market research firm, analyzed the data and found a 25 percent decrease in the number of small business prime contractors since 2010.

“There are fewer small businesses that are engaging as a prime and that is the same pattern across large businesses,” said Kevin Plexico, the vice president of information solutions at Deltek, during the FedFocus 2018 event in Vienna, Virginia on Oct. 10. “The dollars are holding steady but the number of prime participants is declining.”

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2017/10/number-of-small-business-prime-contractors-down-by-25-percent-since-2010/

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

 

Pentagon wins court round on disclosing Sikorsky subcontracting plans

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pentagon-sealDefense Department attorneys won an appeals court decision on Jan. 6 that denies a demand from a small business advocacy group that Sikorsky Aviation Corp. be required to disclose its subcontracting plan submitted under a long-standing Pentagon program.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled against the Petaluma, Calif.-based American Small Business League, saying that forcing the helicopter maker to disclose its subcontracting plan would put it at a competitive disadvantage.

Small business booster Lloyd Chapman has long challenged the Pentagon’s 27-year-old Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program as nonproductive and oriented mostly toward obfuscating the degree to which large contractors win defense business intended for smaller ones.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/contracting/2017/01/pentagon-wins-court-round-disclosing-sikorsky-subcontracting-plans/134472

Lockheed Martin biggest U.S. Government contractor in 2015

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pentagon-sealThe Pentagon’s top 100 contractors raked in $175.1 billion in obligated contracts in 2015, down slightly from 2014’s total of $177.6 billion, according to government figures released this week.

Lockheed Martin was the largest single contractor for the U.S. government in 2015, easily lapping the rest of the field with $36.2 billion. The next closest competitor was Boeing at $16.6 billion.The federal government’s top 100 as a whole obligated $238.5 billion in 2015, meaning the DoD represented about 73.5 percent of those contracts awarded to the biggest firms.

General Dynamics ($13.6 billion), Raytheon ($13.1 billion) and Northrop Grumman ($10.6 billion) rounded out the top five contractors. Health care services firm McKesson, which has a series of major contracts with the Tricare system, was the only non-defense contractor to make it into the top eight overall federal contractors.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/policy-budget/industry/2016/05/09/lockheed-biggest-government-contractor-2015-defense-industry/83961520/

See details on the top 100 federal contractors here: Top_100_Contractors_Report_Fiscal_Year_2015

New regulations will change business for Government contractors

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The Administration has been active in promulgating Executive Orders (E.O.) that affect the stakeholders in the Government contracting process.  On July 31, 2014, the President signed Executive Order 13673, “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces.”  The E.O.states that it “improve[s] the federal contracting process.” But it will create a burden for prime contractors, subcontractors, and their agency customers. It will place increased importance on avoiding any type of adverse ruling involving an employment-related or safety-related claim.

Dept. of LaborAs all Government contractors are aware, a contract may be awarded only after a federal agency determines that the prospective contractor is “responsible” in accordance with Part 9 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Under this E.O., a company’s compliance with 14 federal labor statutes, as well as unnamed state labor statutes, will now be a factor that agencies and prime contractors must consider prior to awarding a contract or subcontract over $500,000.

The FAR Council issued a proposed rule (FAR Case 2014-025) on May 28, 2015, amending the FAR to implement E.O. 13673.  80 Fed. Reg. 30548. On that same day, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued extensive “guidance” on the E.O.  80 Fed. Reg. 30573.  Comments on the proposed regulations were originally requested by July 27, 2015, but that deadline has been extended twice and is now August 26, 2015. Your company, or an association representing your industry, may have already filed comments on the proposed regulation; regardless, it is very important that your company focus on the requirement and take immediate steps to prepare for its implementation.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e1853900-11d2-43a0-a8db-2418a038249c

Prime contractors holding small business outreach event in Savannah on Aug. 19

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Two large prime contractors are conducting an outreach event entitled “How To Do Business with a Large Prime Contractor” on August 19, 2015 in Savannah, GA.

Great Lakes

Tetra TechThe contractors sponsoring this event are Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC and Tetra Tech.  The event is being held at the Savannah Civic Center from 8:30 am until noon.

This event is free to attend, but requires advance registration.

If you are interested, you may see the program at: Savannah Small Business Program 2015Aug19

The Registration form is here: Savannah Small Business Outreach Registration Aug 19 2015

These are the Georgia companies who won federal contracts in April 2014

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Ever wonder who’s winning federal contracts in Georgia?

Wouldn’t this information be helpful if you are looking for subcontracting prospects?  Or when you’re trying to figure out who your competitors are?  Or when considering who might be a good partner on an upcoming bid proposal?

Each month, the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) publishes a list of federal contracts awarded to Georgia businesses.  The list comes complete with point-of-contact information on the awardees, the name of the awarding agency, the dollar value of the contract, and much more.

Download details on the award winners for April 2014 right here: FEDERAL CONTRACT AWARDS IN GEORGIA – APRIL 2014

Winners of federal contracts earlier this year may be found at the links below:

For information on Georgia businesses that won federal contracts in 2013, click here.

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