Category Archives: Federal Governement Contracting

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for California

WASHINGTON — FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of California to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides beginning on Feb. 21, 2023, and continuing.  More

IIJA money starting to flow to projects

Funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is finally making it to projects, according to the CEOs of several major public construction companies. Additional federal money from the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act is also boosting the civil construction outlook, they said.  More

Have You Updated the Minimum Wage? Government Contractors Struggle with Minimum Wage Confusion

On January 1, 2023, the minimum wage for government contractors under Executive Order 14026 increased from $15.00 per hour to $16.20 per hour. We wrote about Executive Order 14026 and its requirements previously here. There continues to be confusion as to when and how Executive Order 14026 applies, so here are a few key components […]

Increased contract spending a boon for small businesses

Last year’s big spending at the Pentagon will continue this year, with small business getting more opportunities to share in the wealth. Defense contract spending rose 6.7% in 2022, hitting its second highest annual total at $436 billion, according to a report from Bloomberg Government. The spike in unclassified procurement resulted from numerous factors including […]

DOD instructs acquisition teams to prioritize small business engagement over best-in-class contracts

The Department of Defense is tweaking its contracting strategy to place more of an emphasis on meeting small business acquisition goals, even it if means supplanting its use of Best in Class vehicles. The Office of the Under Secretary for Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment released a memorandum on Jan. 27 that described small businesses […]

Help on the Way? Proposed National Defense Authorization Act for 2023 Grants DoD Discretion to Allow Inflation Relief for DoD Contractors

The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), in essence Congress’ annual budget for the Department of Defense (DoD), commonly includes various riders and attachments that amend or create other federal laws. For example, the 2022 NDAA gives contracting officers a lot more discretion to help out its contractors in light of inflation.  We’re guessing we […]

SBA Provides Answers on Vets Certification Program Roll-Out in Q&A Session

On December 6, 2022, the SBA held a virtual Q&A session to discuss the roll-out of the Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) certification program. They will be assuming responsibility as of January 2023 and the SBA will begin accepting applications for certification on January 9, 2023. Through the […]

A Slight Deviation: DoD Implements Temporary Verification Requirement while SAM Updates

On a daily basis, the Department of Defense (DoD) issues innumerable memorandums and orders, as one might expect when dealing with one of the largest institutions in human history. Most of these have little to no impact for most government contractors. However, a recent class deviation is an exception, as it should make things easier […]

SBA Issues Final Rule on SDVOSB Certification

SBA has issued its final rule for its takeover of the Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Certification program. The rule will have an effective date of January 1, 2023. We discussed the proposed rule in our post here. Below are a few key takeaways from the final version of the […]

SBA Adjusts Economic Disadvantage Thresholds for 8(a) and EDWOSB Programs

Per an interim final rule published on November 17, 2022, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is adjusting the three economic disadvantage thresholds applicable to the 8(a) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) programs for inflation. SBA’s interim final rule will also increase its receipts-based small business size standards. These changes will be effective on […]