The Department of Defense (DoD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently proposed a series of noteworthy amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) that impact Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) concerns and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) concerns. The key proposed amendments to the FAR — which
SBA Issues Annual Small Business Procurement Scorecard
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently issued its annual procurement scorecard showing how well federal agencies fared in Fiscal Year 2019 with respect to their small business and socio-economic prime contracting and subcontracting goals.
Of note, the SBA reports that 26.50% (or $132.9 billion) of the total federal contracting dollars spent by the government
Practical Implications of DoD $100 Million 8(a) Sole-Source Threshold Increase
We recently wrote about the Department of Defense (DoD) amendment to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to increase the threshold for requiring defense contracting agencies to issue sole-source justifications to companies participating in the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) program. The amendment – DFARS 206.303-1 – increased the DoD threshold from $22 million
New 8(a) BD Program Requirements Effective July 15, 2020
As we noted previously, the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) final rule updating the qualification requirements for the 8(a) Business Development (BD) Program will go into effect on July 15, 2020. Importantly, for individuals considering the 8(a) BD Program, the final rule will increase thresholds for qualifying as “economically disadvantaged” and remove prior distinctions between
Increased Flexibility in Paycheck Protection Program
On June 5, 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was amended by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (PPPFA). PPPFA gives borrowers relief from some of the original terms of the PPP loans (as well as terms imposed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through Interim Final Rules and other guidance) by
All Small Mentor-Protégé Program 2020 Mid-Year Report
The Small Business Administration (SBA) began accepting applications for the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program (ASMPP) in 2016 and has seen a surge in applications in each successive year.
Under the ASMPP, any small business – including 8(a) small businesses, Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small businesses, veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB/SDVOSBs), woman-owned and
SBA Issues Interim Final Rule on PPP Loan Forgiveness
Under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), borrowers can seek loan forgiveness of the full principal amount of loans as early as eight weeks after disbursement of the loan proceeds. On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued its Interim Final Rule regarding the loan forgiveness application process in advance of anticipated loan
SBA Extends PPP “Safe Harbor” to May 18
The Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a second update to its answers to frequently asked questions about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) on May 13, 2020. This update extends the “safe harbor” period for businesses to return funds received under the PPP and be deemed by the SBA to have submitted their prior certification of
SBA Issues Long-Awaited Rule on Women-Owned Small Business Certification
The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently published its long-awaited final rule implementing a 2015 statutory requirement to certify Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (WOSBs) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (EDWOSBs) participating in the Procurement Program for Women-Owned Small Business Concerns. Notably, the SBA’s final rule also adjusts the dollar threshold for determining whether an
SBA Updates “Economic Uncertainty” Certification Guidance
The Small Business Administration issued an important update to its answers to frequently asked questions about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) on May 13, 2020:
Question: How will SBA review borrowers’ required good-faith certification concerning the necessity of their loan request?
Answer: When submitting a PPP application, all borrowers must certify in good faith that