Number Of UK Suspicious Transactions on the Rise
Oct 26, 2017
Alex Hamilton, senior reporter at IBS Intelligence, writes that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s financial watchdog, has revealed a rise in the number of suspicious transactions reported to it this year. 3,730 such transactions were filed to the FCA in the first nine months of...
Defence Single-Source Procurement – NAO Report
Oct 26, 2017
The UK National Audit Office published a report recently looking at the work of the Single Source Regulation Office and how the Ministry of Defence manages single-source contracts generally. It is another interesting report from NAO, highlighting the need for good contract management. It finds that...
Vendors Finishing Up Prototypes for U.S.-Mexico Border Wall
Oct 25, 2017
The last two of eight prototypes for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall took shape last week at a construction site in San Diego. Bidding guidelines call for the prototypes to stand between 18-30 feet high, be able to withstand at least an hour of punishment from various tools, should...
GAO: Protest of Proposed Corrective Action Premature
Oct 25, 2017
When an agency takes corrective action in response to a bid protest, the agency voluntarily agrees to do something (such as re-evaluate proposals, re-open discussions, or even cancel a solicitation) to address the alleged problems identified in the protest. Corrective actions are quite common: in...
Over 200 Cities Bid for Amazon HQ2
Oct 25, 2017
This week, Amazon said it received 238 proposals from cities and regions looking to be home for the $5 billion second headquarters the company is planning to build, also known as HQ2. Proposals were due last week and many contained videos showing off what the municipalities had to offer. According...
Unverified SDVOSB JV Partner Couldn’t Protest VA Set-Aside Solicitation
Oct 24, 2017
A non-SDVOSB company couldn’t protest the terms of a VA SDVOSB set-aside solicitation, despite entering into a joint venture agreement with an SDVOSB–because the joint venture hadn’t started the process of becoming verified by the VA.
In a recent bid protest decision, GAO held that because...
GAO: Agency’s Oral Advice Didn’t Amend Solicitation
Oct 24, 2017
An agency’s oral advice, given at a pre-proposal conference, did not amend the solicitation or legally bind the agency.
In a recent bid protest decision, the GAO reiterated that offerors rely on oral advice from agencies at their own risk–particularly when the oral advice in question appears to...
GAO: Agency Corrective Action After Eight Months of Protests Was Not “Unduly Delayed”
Oct 24, 2017
In a GAO bid protest, recovering costs after an agency takes corrective action turns on whether or not the agency unduly delayed the corrective action.
A recent GAO case shows that, in certain circumstances, an agency may be able to fight a protester almost to the bitter end, then take corrective...
Small Montana Company Gets Puerto Rico’s Largest Contract
Oct 24, 2017
Puerto Rico’s state-owned utility has turned to a two-year-old, Montana-based company to restore its electrical grid. Whitefish Energy signed a $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to repair and reconstruct large portions of the island’s electrical...
SmallGovCon Week In Review: October 16-20, 2017
Oct 20, 2017
My Cubs couldn’t pull off the World Series repeat, losing badly to the Dodgers last night in the National League Championship Series. And you know what? I’m okay with it. We Cubs fans are a different breed: after 108 years, many of us thought we’d never see a title. So after the...
Irony of Wales National Procurement Service Set Up to Save Money
Oct 19, 2017
Wales’ top public spending watchdog has raised concerns about a body that was set up to save Welsh public bodies money – but which has been running at a loss – reports Wales Online. A report has been issued on how Welsh public bodies, which spend £6 billion a year, are not using the National...
WOSB Program: Company Ineligible Because Husband Managed Business
Oct 19, 2017
A self-certified woman-owned small business was ineligible for a WOSB set-aside contract because the woman owner’s husband held the company’s highest officer position and appeared to manage its day-to-day operations.
A recent SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals decision highlights the importance...
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Perspectives and Insights
I have been interested in the question of getting successful commercial companies, especially tech companies, to sell to the government from the time I was …
The Contractor Accountability and Transparency Act of 2017 (S. 651), introduced by Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., is yet another example of a …
Think you know all about public sector owned professional buying organisations (PBOs) and what they do? Here are ten interesting facts that might just surprise …
Policies and Regulations
It’s no surprise President Trump has been systematically dismantling President Obama’s executive orders, since taking office. Obama himself knew it was a possibility: Frustrated by …
Past performance is an important step in being successful as a federal government contractor. Once firms get into the mid-tier range, they normally have amassed …
A few months back, we published several articles about the very interesting – and somewhat shocking – court case around the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning …