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SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 14-18, 2025

Happy Friday! We’ve finally received some much-needed rain this week in the Midwest, after a very warm couple of weeks. It seems there has been quite a lot of rain around the country, as well. We hope you are staying cool, dry, and safe out there. It’s also been another busy week in the federal government contracting arena. We have included some articles below that we thought were particularly newsworthy, including small business scorecards and increased use of AI in the federal government.

A Wobbly Bike: Some Initial Thoughts on FAR 2.0

In recent months, the revamping of the FAR has been a big topic of discussion for federal contractors and those who work with them. This project is referred to as FAR 2.0 or the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul or simply RFO. An executive order got the ball rolling, setting forth the mandate to create FAR 2.0 within 180 days from April 15, 2025, which puts the deadline as  October 12, 2025. The GSA has described its goals with the FAR overhaul by using some interesting metaphors. It says the FAR o

SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 7-11, 2025

Welcome to another edition of the SmallGovCon Week in Review. We hope that our SmallGovCon readers have a great and relaxing weekend. While the kids may be out of school, the government sure isn’t, and it pays to stay on top of the latest in federal contracting. This week in federal government contracting, key stories included the continued consolidation of work with GSA, including cancellation of two large IDIQ procurements in order to utilize GSA vehicles instead. GSA announces

Small Business Contracting Goals: Current State of Agency Goals

In recent years, the Small Business Administration’s small business contracting goals have been on an upswing, with the requirements growing beyond the statutorily required minimums in an effort to encourage federal agencies to increase awards to small businesses, especially disadvantaged businesses. That is, until now. With the current administration’s focus on “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” or Executive Order 14151, there has been a sharp decrease to th

SBA Introduces its New Small Business Search System

Recently, and with very little fanfare, the SBA released its Small Business Search system (SBS), replacing the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) system that had been in use for a number of years. Per the SBA, existing business profiles have been migrated to this new platform. However, it is a good idea to take a look and see what has been transferred over to be sure that all information for your company has been properly moved over. We’re going to take a quick look at this new system and how

SBA OHA Says: Claiming Social Disadvantage? Prove it!

Many individuals who have gone through SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program (the 8(a) Program) will tell you that the application process is not for the faint of heart. One of the most time-consuming, and often frustrating hurdles of the application is the Social Disadvantage Narrative (or SDN).   Applicants are asked to revisit painful moments where they experienced discrimination. Sharing these deeply personal experiences is what makes it so upsetting for an applicant when SBA pushes ba

Happy Independence Day from SmallGovCon!

Happy 4th of July! We hope that our SmallGovCon readers have a happy and safe holiday. This is a good time to remember that this country would be a far different place had we not achieved independence from the United Kingdom in the manner that we did. And maintaining the independence of this country takes everyone working together and the strength of our government to support the people’s independence and sovereignty. Federal government workers and contractors are crucial to maintaining our coun

SBA Announces an Audit of 8(a) Program Contracts

SBA has announced that it will be auditing the 8(a) Program in a recent press release entitled: “Administrator Loeffler Orders Full-Scale Audit of 8(a) Contracting Program.” 8(a) Participants and former Participants should be aware that SBA will be focusing on a review of contracts issued under the 8(a) Program. The announcement from SBA cites to a news story highlighting a massive bribery scandal at USAID. SBA intends to “immediately initiate a full-scale audit of the agency’s awarding

SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 23-27, 2025

Happy Friday and happy summer, everyone! Things are really heating up here in the Midwest as well as the rest of the country. But the heat does not mean the WIR takes a week off. Rather, the news is just as hot off the press as is the weather. This week in federal government contracting saw updates on a GAO budget cut, AI led budget cuts, and increased review of contracts by agency heads. New sole-source thresholds gives a bigger piece of pie to Tribals and ignores small businesses

End of the Bona Fide Place of Business Moratorium

SBA requires that, for 8(a) Program construction contract set-asides, the contractor must have a “a bona fide place of business in the applicable geographic area.” 13 C.F.R. § 124.501. In 2021, SBA suspended the enforcement of this requirement in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 17, 2025, SBA announced that this moratorium is coming to an end. In this post, we’ll look at the rule and what the end of this moratorium means for 8(a) construction contractors. The Bona Fide Place of Bu

GovCon FAQs: What is the Difference Between an REA and a Claim?

There is an old saying that the only thing constant is change. While true in a broad sense, it is especially true in federal contracting. At some point a federal contractor will find itself facing a change to its contract or performance, costing it money or time. Inevitably, that leads to the question of whether an REA should be pursued, or if a claim should filed. One of the most common responses to that question is actually another question: what’s the difference between an REA and a claim? Le

SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 16-20, 2025

Happy Friday! Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, marks a powerful moment in American history—the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It stands as a celebration of freedom, resilience, and the ongoing struggle for equality. Have a wonderful weekend! This week in federal government contracting news, keep your eyes on increased review of contracts at DHS, GSA’s plans for tech resellers, and reve

SBA’s OHA: A Joint Venture Agreement Can’t Step on the Managing Venturer’s Toes

Joint ventures created between a small business protégé and a large mentor are without a doubt a very alluring and popular aspect of the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program. It provides an incentive to potential mentors to share their connections, resources, experience, and industry knowledge with small businesses, many of whom are not only small, but participants in one of the various SBA programs such as the 8(a) Program and Woman-Owned Small Business Program, to name a couple. But, as appealing as m

Back to Basics: Terminations

The word “termination” in nearly every context elicits concern. And in federal contracting, such concern may often be warranted. Some terminations are no big deal, resulting in a federal contract–or even just part of one–being ended a bit early for convenience of the government. But other terminations, based on alleged default or deemed “for cause,” can have significant negative impacts (especially on small and disadvantaged businesses). So, one thing remains consistent across the board for fede

[1st Ever Bilingual] Webinar Announcement: The SBA 8(a) Program, June 26, 2025, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM CDT

Are you a disadvantaged small business owner looking for a leg-up in the federal marketplace? Well, this is your chance! Puerto Rico APEX Accelerators are hosting a FREE webinar to help you understand how the SBA 8(a) Business Development Program can open the door to exclusive contracting opportunities. And in very exciting news, this will actually be our firm’s first ever bilingual webinar! Indeed, our very own Nicole Pottroff will put her years of Spanish education to the test in an effort

SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 9-13, 2025

Another work week in the books. Hope you had a great one. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there and hope they have a relaxing weekend! This week in federal government contracting included stories about DoD fraud, DOGE cost-savings, and GSA centralizing additional work. USDA ended contract for food assistance ‘clearinghouse’ required by law, lawsuit claims Trump’s pick for VA watchdog role promises independence, impartiality VA employees raise concerns over short-sta

Webinar! SBA & DoD Mentor-Protégé Program, June 24, 2025, 10:00-11:30am MDT, hosted by Texas El Paso APEX Accelerators

Touted as a “game-changer” when it was first introduced in 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protégé Program isn’t new anymore. Known now as simply the “SBA Mentor-Protégé Program,” it is still extremely useful for large and small contractors alike. Government contracts attorneys John Holtz and Stephanie Ellis of Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC will explain the ins and outs of the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program, covering the program’s eligibility requirements, its pot

FAR Council Removes Rule on Small Business Orders

A couple FAR notices have removed proposed SBA rules relating to orders on multiple award contracts. This withdrawal seems to have the affect of decreasing the overall application of the small business Rule of Two, as discussed here. However, it only impacts the application of the rule of two to orders under multiple award contracts that were not restricted to small businesses. So, it’s impact is relatively narrow. Protests of Orders Under Certain Multiple-Award Contracts In this no

Back to Basics: Interested Parties

Imagine you’ve submitted a bid for a procurement that you believe your company is a shoo-in for. Nobody comes close to the experience and skills your company brings to the table. A while later, you learn that the new company down the street was awarded the contract. There clearly must be a mistake. The awardee doesn’t have half the experience your company has in this industry. Feeling wronged, you decide to file a bid protest questioning the award at the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

SmallGovCon Week in Review: June 3-6, 2025

Happy Friday! Hope you are ready for a great weekend! Lot’s going on the federal government contracting world this week. This included updates on the FAR overhaul, as well as budget cuts at SBA that could leave SCORE and other programs in trouble if budget cuts go through. Native American programs protected from Trump’s anti-DEI order, agencies say Trump budget proposes nearly $1B in cuts to tribal programs HUBZone Program Updates and Clarifications, and Clarifications to Other

FAR 52.222-46 Again? GAO Sustains Protest that Agency Price Evaluation was Unreasonable

Agencies get a lot of discretion when it comes to evaluating proposals. We’ve explored several different cases where GAO affirmed this principle. However, this principle is not absolute. Contrary to what some might think, there are limits on an agency’s discretion when it comes to how it evaluates proposals. Recently, the Air Force was reminded of this fact in a GAO protest concerning a price evaluation. We explore that decision here. On March 24, 2024, the Air Force issued a solicitatio

COFC: Ostensible Subcontractor Rule for General Construction Still Looks at all Circumstances 

As frequent SmallGovCon readers know, the Small Business Administration’s ostensible subcontractor rule can be tricky to navigate. The rule requires contractors not to rely too heavily on a subcontractor in the performance of a contract set aside under an SBA socioeconomic program, but what constitutes relying too heavily can be confusing for small business contractors. Without a clear measure of how reliant is too reliant, businesses have to worry that they may be denied an award or even worse,

SmallGovCon Week in Review: May 26-30, 2025

Happy Friday! The sun is shining here in the Midwest and after several days of rain, June is upon us. Time to get the lawn mower started this weekend. We hope you have some fun plans for the summer, other than mowing the lawn, with friends and family. This week in federal government news, catch up on a potential small business rule of two statute, additional contract-cutting, and GSA becoming a central contracting power player. Protecting Small Business Competitions Act of 2025