Late last year, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a lengthy final rule that made changes to various SBA regulations. While the SBA highlighted its changes to the Mentor-Protégé program, the rule will have wide-ranging impacts on small business contracting, including the treatment of a small business offeror’s capabilities, past performance, and experience.

Prior to the issuance of the SBA’s new rule, FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iii) stated that an agency “should” consider the past performance of key subcontractors, but the use of “should” left agencies with broad discretion to consider (or not consider) subcontractor past performance. In many cases, agencies still issued solicitations that explicitly precluded consideration of subcontractor experience. Such limitations prevented small business offerors from using key subcontractors or a teaming arrangement to establish the required experience and past performance.
Continue Reading SBA Changes Ensure Small Businesses Can Utilize Teaming Arrangements and Subcontractor Experience

Effective May 25, 2018, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) amended its regulations regarding a contractor’s size and/or socio-economic status following a novation, merger, or acquisition. Specifically, through a “technical correction,” the SBA revised its regulations to dictate that when a company becomes “other than small” or no longer has a certain socio-economic status (veteran-owned, woman-owned, HUBZone, etc.) as a result of a novation, merger, or acquisition, the business is no longer eligible to compete for set-aside task orders on multiple-award contracts held by the company. This change in eligibility is applicable even where the contracting officer does not specifically request a recertification. 
Continue Reading Contractor Beware: SBA Expands Impact of Novation, Merger, or Acquisition on Size and Socio-Economic Status

Associated General Contractors of America & Cohen Seglias Webinar

AGC_Logo_0On October 6th, join Partner Ed DeLisle for the Associated General Contractors of America webinar, “What all Federal Contractors—Big and Small—Need to Know about the New SBA Mentor-Protégé Program & Other Small Business Changes.” For more information, and to register for this event, please visit the AGC of America website.Continue Reading What all Federal Contractors Need to Know about the New SBA Mentor-Protégé Program & Other Small Business Changes

legal landscape special editionWelcome to a special edition of the Legal Landscape, a series we have developed with Onvia’s blog to provide government contractors with a quick, but thorough, summary of important legal developments and regulations in government contracting, as well as a plain-English explanation of how these developments may affect state & local contractors. In this special edition we’ll discuss significant changes recently rolled out by the Small Business Administration (SBA) regarding federal small business procurement regulations. Government contractors should keep in mind that state & local agencies often look toward changes in federal regulations as a guideline.


Continue Reading Legal Landscape Special Edition: SBA Rolls Out Major Small Business Changes

The long-awaited Final Rule addressing changes to the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé program is being published in the Federal Register today. The Mentor-Protégé program that was limited to 8(a) Small Business Concerns has now been expanded and, effective August 24, 2016, will be available to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, HUBZones Small Businesses, and Women-Owned Small Businesses, as well as non-disadvantaged Small Business Concerns. The program is “designed to enhance the capabilities of protégé firms by requiring approved mentors to provide business development assistance to protégé firms and to improve the protégé firms’ ability to successfully compete for federal contracts.”


Continue Reading New Small Business Mentor-Protégé Program Announced By The SBA

In its final rule published on May 31, 2016, the SBA modified the regulations relating to affiliation based on an “identity of interest” pursuant to 13 C.F.R. § 121.103(f). Specifically, the SBA provided clearer guidelines regarding identity of interest affiliation due to familial relationships and economic dependence.


Continue Reading Identity of Interest Affiliation: Further Defined by the SBA

Business People Meeting Discussion Communication ConceptAs we blogged Wednesday, this week the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) published a lengthy final rule that implements the long-awaited small business regulation changes mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) of 2013. The rule makes a number of very important changes affecting Federal contractors.  One of the more important changes makes it easier for small businesses to form joint ventures (JVs) to compete for government procurements and removes prior, and often confusing, restrictions.


Continue Reading SBA Makes It Easier for Small Businesses To Joint Venture for Federal Contracts

WelcomeOnviaLegalLandscape to the fourth edition of Legal Landscape, a series we have developed with Onvia’s blog to provide government contractors with a quick, but thorough, summary of important legal developments and regulations in government contracting, as well as a plain-English explanation of how those developments may affect contractors at all levels of government. Contractors should keep in mind that state and local agencies often look to changes in federal regulations as a guide for future changes at their respective levels. Changes recently made in the federal arena are likely to trickle down to state and local governments.
Continue Reading Legal Landscape: SBA Expands the WOSB/EDWOSB Contract Program, Importance of the Economic Loss Rule and Self-Reporting Requirement Changes

On March 3, 2016, the SBA announced that it has expanded the list of industries in which a contract can be set-aside for women-owned small businesses (“WOSB”) or economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (“EDWOSB”). This expansion was mandated last year by section 825 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (“NDAA”), which required numerous changes be made to the SBA’s WOSB/EDWOSB contracting program.


Continue Reading In a Major Win for Women Owned Businesses, SBA Expands WOSB/EDWOSB-Eligible Industry List