When submitting contractor claims to the federal government, businesses should be aware of the Contracting Officer authority to issue a final decision. 48 CFR 1.603 suggests that although the CO is appointed on a Standard Form 1402. Any limitations on the Contracting Officer authority must be stated on the form… Read more »
You Can Avoid Common Mistakes and Spending Unnecessary Legal Fees By Understanding the SBA and Government Certificate of Competency (COC) Process. The SBA’s COC Program is governed by the Small Business Act, 15 USC 37(b); 13 CFR 125.5 and FAR Part 19.6. A Government Certificate of Competency is a written document from… Read more »
Sometimes government contractors under 5 U.S.C. 552 seek to get information via a Freedom of Information Act request, commonly referred to as a FOIA request, to find out information about a specific procurement or another contractor. Before you submit a FOIA request, you may want to find out if the… Read more »
In a recent GAO bid protest decision, HGS Engineering, Inc.; American Commercial Group, Inc. Challenging the government’s best value procurement decision, GAO agreed with the agency’s source selection decision. The protestors challenged the agency’s decision that the awardee’s proposal represented the best value to the government. These bid protest challenges,… Read more »
Qualifying under the Code of Federal Regulations 13 CFR 125.18 as an SDVOSB Joint Venture agreement means that you must first qualify as an SDVOSB. Getting the best guidance about the rules can put your company in a strong position even before you bid on a federal contract. Although this seems… Read more »
The McNamara O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA Government Contracts) mandates that federal contractors and subcontractors performing services on prime contracts in excess of $2,500 must pay service employees in various classes no less than the wage rates and SCA fringe benefits found prevailing in that specific locality, or the rates… Read more »
Federal contractors are being caught with submitting bids with a contractor letter of intent to hire that have no substance. Getting the proper guidance on this issue can make the difference between getting the contract or somehow getting to the point where there is a false representation. The latter can… Read more »
Does Your SBA Operating Agreement Comply With the Rules Under 13 CFR 121.103? If Not, You Can Lose Your Contract. When making size determinations and affiliation under the negative control definition for small businesses, the SBA not only looks at finding actual control over the protested business but also whether a non-disadvantaged… Read more »
Avoid Costly and Painful Mistakes that Other Government Contractors Make With Performance of Contract Ratings. As a federal government contractor, your contractor past performance evaluation is recorded by having CPAR ratings under FAR Part 42. The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) might allow for valid reasons why the agency may have given… Read more »
Failure to Follow CDA Claims Filing Requirements Will Get the Appeal Dismissed If the Contracting Officer issues a final decision denying your contract claim against the government, you have rights to appeal the decision to the US Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA). However, there are specific rules of procedure… Read more »