On Feb. 9, 2012, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Me.) wrote to Eric K. Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, noting that many veteran-owned small businesses are complaining about the struggles that they face when applying to the VA for certification as service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB’s). Many small businesses, Sen. Snowe wrote, “have reported long delays,...
Category: Government Contracts
Government Contractors Get 7-Day Review Period to Challenge Publication of Data
By Carol L. O’Riordan and Selena Brady Government contractors will now have a slightly better means of challenging the possible release to the general public of information on them that may actually be exempt from publication under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). On January 3, 2012, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, which helps coordinate...
Task Force Meeting Will Give Veterans an ‘Open Mike’ on Contracting
By Carol L. O’Riordan Veterans who are federal contractors under the government’s various small business programs, or would like to become contractors, will have a chance to vent their concerns or express their praise at an upcoming public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The Veterans Administration is one of...
U.S. Announces Recovery of $422 Million in Contract Fraud in FY 2011
By Carol L. O’Riordan The Justice Department announced on Dec. 19, 2011, that it recovered $422 million in fiscal year 2011 in procurement fraud cases. The total amount recovered for procurement fraud in the last three fiscal years exceeds $1.5 billion, a record for any three-year period. It’s clear that procurement and contract fraud are...
VA Changes Stance on Key Issue on Veterans’ Set-Aside Contracts
In response to a more-than-gentle nudge from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a lawsuit by veteran-owned companies, and considerable dissatisfaction on Capitol Hill, the Veterans Administration has backtracked from a prior legal position that could have reduced the impact of a 2006 law that Congress passed in order to help veterans obtain government contracts on...
Congress Cancels 3% Withholding Tax on Federal Contractors
On November 17, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives gave federal contractors and subcontractors an early Thanksgiving present. By a unanimous vote of 422-0, legislators passed H.R. 674, repealing a requirement that federal, state and local governments begin withholding three percent of payments to contractors in 2013. The bill has been sent to President Obama...
Labor Dept. Ends Conflict Between New Rule, HUBZone Program
We reported in September that an unexpected conflict had developed between a new Labor Department rule and an existing congressionally mandated requirement that grants preferential treatment to HUBZone contractors —firms servicing Historically Underutilized Business Zones. Based on a current article in the Washington Business Journal, it now appears that the conflict has dissipated. HUBZone contractors are...
New Rule Makes Matters Thorny for HUBZone Contractors
As a result of a new Labor Department rule, HUBZone contractors will need to brace themselves for possible new changes to their hiring practices that may prove difficult and cumbersome. Since 1998, Congress has provided for preferential treatment to HUBZone contractors — those firms servicing Historically Underutilized Business Zones — in competitions for federal government...
Executive Order Aims at Opening Doors to All in Federal Work
While we wait for Congress and the private sector to sort out a solution to our struggling economy and spark much needed job growth, President Obama took a promising step last month in signing Executive Order #13583. The purpose of the order is to promote the equal opportunity and inclusion of qualified minorities by America’s...
After Delay, SEC Gets Closer to Picking Director of Minority and Women Inclusion
The Securities and Exchange Commission is finally catching up on its minority and women contracting responsibilities. On April 30, 2011, SEC Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar said in a speech, correctly, that “Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires that the SEC undertake significant efforts to recruit and promote employees from all backgrounds. In particular, Section...