By Carol L. O’Riordan The Small Business Administration has released a proposed rule that would affect the operation of several special business preference programs for federal contracts, such as the 8(a) program for disadvantaged small businesses, the HUBZone program for businesses in historically underutilized business zones, and the program to aid businesses run by service-disabled...
Category: Government Contracts
SBA Proposes New Mentor-Protege Program for Small Businesses
The Small Business Administration, which has the mission of expanding federal contract opportunities for various types of small businesses while continuing to work to prevent fraud in these programs, is proposing to establish a government-wide mentor-protégé program for all types of small businesses, parallel to the existing mentor-protégé program under the SBA’s 8(a) business...
O’Riordan Bethel Receives Award for Its Work for Virginia Agency
At the 2014 Annual Breakthrough Breakfast of the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO) at D.C’s .J.W. Marriott Hotel on December 4, 2014, O’Riordan Bethel received the Access Public Sector Award in recognition of its work with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Minority Business Enterprise. The WPEO is a national women’s business organization that promotes...
O’Riordan to Speak on Procurement at Supply Management Event
Managing Partner Carol L. O’Riordan will be the featured speaker on the evening of November 18, 2014, at a meeting of the Institute for Supply Management, National Capital Area, Inc. Ms. O’Riordan will speak on the topic of “Supply Chain: Government Contracts and Procurement Concerns.” The event will take place from 4:45 to 6:15 pm....
As DOJ Gets Tough on Fraud, Compliance Needs to Ramp Up
By Pamela J. Bethel On September 17, 2014, Leslie Caldwell, assistant U.S. attorney general in charge of the Criminal Division, addressed many key issues about the federal False Claims Act in a major speech at the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Conference in Washington, D.C. The Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund brings together whistleblowers who...
Compliance Issues in Government Contracts: Not Just for the Lawyers
By Carol L. O’Riordan It’s clear from a great many recent news articles that if you are a government contractor, putting in a successful bid and being selected for a contract is only the beginning. A great many requirements, some of them onerous, come with a federal contract, including compliance with applicable laws and regulations....
New Article: Putting Profitability Into the Pipeline
On August 14, 2014, partner Carol L. O’Riordan and associate Anthony J. Marchese published an article titled “Putting Organization, Compliance and Improved Profitability into the Pipeline” in the Utility Contractor magazine. The article notes that after a contract is signed and while work is proceeding, a company, such as a construction company, should name one...
When Is an Employee Not an Employee?
By Carol L. O’Riordan We have recently discussed provisions in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) concerning the percentage of work that a small business must perform itself rather than subcontract out, in order to comply with small business self-performance mandates. This is the so-called limitation on subcontracting rule. A contractor must ask: What percentage of...
Be Very Aware: Agencies Cracking Down on Dubious Practices by Contractors
By Carol L. O’Riordan We have written here and here about the types of violations and errors that can lead a company to be suspended or debarred from government contracts. There are a great many minefields out there, and it is not just criminal acts that can lead to suspensions or debarments. Many of our readers...
O’Riordan Receives Award From Organization of Women Business Leaders
We are delighted to announce that our partner Carol L. O’Riordan has been selected to receive the President’s Award of the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization – DC (WPEO-DC). The WPWEO is a regional partner organization of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses. The WBENC is a coalition...