Updated April 11, 2020; Originally posted March 28, 2020 By Carol O’Riordan, Esq. and Taimur Rabbani, Esq. There are two (2) federal loan programs available to businesses and non-profits seeking relief from the economic impact of COVID-19. These programs are independent, and applicants may obtain relief under one or both of these programs. More guidance...
Tag: Small business
Proposed Changes to SBA’s HUBZone Program
By Taimur Rabbani and Andrew Campbell SBA HUBZone Program Since 1997, the Small Business Administration’s Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program has spurred economic development in non-metropolitan, underdeveloped and impoverished areas by providing federal contracting assistance to small businesses located in these areas. The HUBZone program, unlike other federal contracting assistance programs like SBA’s 8(a)...
A Change That Would Simplify and Improve SBA’s HUBZone Program
By Carol L. O’Riordan A HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) is a geographic area that benefits from a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) program that was established in 1998. The program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. The SBA regulates and implements the HUBZone program by...
Good News for Small Businesses — Primes and Subs — on Federal Contracts
By Pamela J. Bethel We have good news for small businesses that contract with the federal government. The government’s policy encouraging prompt payment to small business subcontractors has been extended to December 31, 2017. In a memorandum issued on January 11, 2017, by the Office of Management and Budget, OMB Director Shaun Donovan ordered that the...
SBA Rule Allows Prime Contractors to Claim Credit for Small Lower-Tier Subcontractors
By Taimur Rabbani The Small Business Administration recently issued a rule to allow a large, prime government contractor with an individual subcontracting plan to receive small-business credit for subcontracts issued to small businesses at any tier. The rule has significant implications for businesses performing on unrestricted federal contracts – at all tiers. The final rule,...
Will Obama’s ‘Midnight Regulations’ Affect Your Business?
By Carol L. O’Riordan Welcome to the world of “midnight regulations” – a regulatory phenomenon that occurs from time to time in Washington, D.C., when one administration leaves office and a new one comes in. The Hill reported on January 19, 2017, just a day before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, that many federal regulatory...
Appeals Court Upholds 8(a) Program Against Constitutional Challenge
By Pamela J. Bethel The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has upheld the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) business development program, which provides for contracting preferences to small business owners, against a constitutional challenge that the program involves impermissible racial classifications. The decision in Rothe Development, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Defense and...
New SBA Mentor-Protégé Program Creates Opportunities for Small Business
On July 25, 2016, the federal Small Business Administration issued a final rule – effective August 24, 2016 – establishing a mentor-protégé program for all small business concerns. Although this new program resembles the existing mentor-protégé program for 8(a) firms, it is a distinct program that permits all small business concerns to participate in mentor-protégé...
O’Riordan Bethel Wins Key Ruling on Veteran-Owned Business Set-Asides
Here is an interesting and important bid protest case that a team from O’Riordan Bethel won earlier this year in the Small Business Administration’s Office of Hearings and Appeals. The holding of the case was that a mentor-protégé joint venture formed under Section 8(a) does not qualify for a set-aside as a service-disabled veteran-owned small...
Veteran-Owned Small Businesses Reap Big Win at U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled on June 16 that when Congress wrote “shall,” it meant “shall.” The result of its decision in Kingdomware Technologies Inc. v. United States will have major implications for the federal contracting efforts of veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) and may well give VOSBs a big boost in their constant efforts...