It’s hard to believe that August is already here. Before we know it, the end of the government fiscal year will be here–and if tradition holds, a slew of bid protests related to those inevitable last-minute contract awards.

In our first SmallGovCon Week In Review for August, two big-wig executives who previously plead guilty to charges of conspiracy now face civil claims, some helpful tips on how to prepare for the year-end contracting frenzy, Schedule 70 looks to be improved, a major roadblock for the ENCORE III IT service contract, and much more.

• A False Claims Act complaint has been filed by the U.S. Justice Department against two former New Jersey executives accused of defrauding the military. [nj.com]
• A federal judge said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed a “cavalier disregard” for the truth and favoritism during the evaluation of bid proposals for its financial management. [Modern Healthcare]
• A watchdog found that a five-year contract originally valued at a fixed price of nearly $182 million ballooned to $423 million. [Government Executive]
• A GSA top acquisition official has promised an improved Schedule 70 following an audit that found price discrepancies for identical products and some offered at higher prices than they were commercially available. [Nextgov]
• Washington Technology offers eight tips to help contractors prepare for the last month of the government fiscal year. [Washington Technology]
• A growing legion of small businesses are trying make federal contracting a bigger part of their revenue as federal small business awards stay above $90 billion for the past two fiscal years. [Bloomberg]
• A group of men, women and corporations have been indicted for illegally winning government contracts worth some $350 million by misrepresenting themselves as straw companies controlled by either low-income individuals or disabled veterans. [The State]
• The final “blacklisting” rule to prevent businesses that had broken labor laws from working with the federal government is expected soon, and the National Labor Relations Board is preparing to follow the proposal. [Society for Human Resource Management]
• The growing number of bid protests appears unavoidable, regardless of the efforts to engage industry before, during and after the bidding process. [Nextgov]
• The GAO has sustained protests challenging the terms of the major ENCORE III IT services contract. [Federal News Radio]

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