It’s Friday and I’m looking forward to a great weekend here in the Midwest.  The Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, so if horses are your thing, grab your best (or most outrageous) hat, a mint julep and enjoy!  But first, it’s time to find out what is new in the wide world of government contracts.

In this week’s edition of the SmallGovCon Week in Review, an acquisition reform panel says it is on track to reduce the size of the DFARS by 50%, alleged SBIR fraud results in a $1.9 million settlement, the DoD resumes its attack on contractors’ protest rights, and more.

• A military contractor accused of cheating the Pentagon is still actively working on a government contract, ABC News says. [abcnews.go.com]
• The FAR Council has issued a change officially amending the DoD task order bid protest threshold from $10 million to $25 million. [Federal Register]
• Apparently unsatisfied with this rollback of contractors’ protest rights, the DoD is pushing legislation to sharply limit bid protests in the Court of Federal Claims.  But, as the article points out, the major RAND Corporation study says that DoD bid protests are already “exceedingly uncommon.” [Federal News Radio]
• The FAR Council also issued a final rule providing for additional duties for agency OSDBUs. [Federal Register]
• That very busy FAR Council issued another final rule, this one raising the dollar threshold for the audit of prime contract settlement proposals and subcontract settlements. [Federal Register]
• A DoD reform panel says it is on track to reduce the size of the DFARS by 50%. I hate to be that guy, but I’ll believe it when I see it. [Federal News Radio]
• A Maryland company and two former top officers have agreed to pay nearly $2 million to settle allegations of SBIR fraud. [Department of Justice]

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