WPI Acquisition Alert

- June 28, 2022 -

UPCOMING EVENTS

7/12/22

Acquisition Hour: The Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) and Wide Area Workflow (WAWF)

Webinar

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7/13-14/22

16th Annual Wisconsin Government Opportunities Business Conference (GOBC)

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7/27/22

Making Calculated Investments in Your Company’s Cybersecurity – Virtual

Webinar

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8/9/22

Acquisition Hour: The Federal Spend to the End

Webinar

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MYTH BUSTERS

MYTH:

Only large businesses win Federal contracts.

REALITY:

In FY2021, Wisconsin small businesses were awarded over $1 billion in Federal awards. To help set a level playing field, the Federal government limits competition on certain contracts to only small businesses. These contracts are called “set-asides”. In addition, large Federal contractors with large contract are required to implement Small Business Subcontracting plans that include small and diverse business goals. A list of Federal contractors with Subcontracting Plans is available at https://www.sba.gov/document/support-directory-federal-government-prime-contractors-subcontracting-plans

Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI) staff provides assistance to small businesses in preparing their Federal market strategy. Please contact WPI staff at 414-270-3600 or [email protected]

NEWS & UPDATES

Transition of the SDVOSB and VOSB Certification (verification) Program

The Small Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) certification (verification) program will transition from the Department of Veteran Affairs to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on January 1, 2023. After January 1, 2023 all questions, and applications will be processed by the SBA.

For companies that are currently verified and with an expiration date of January 1, 2023, or later, no immediate action is required. However, these companies will need to monitor the SBA's website and follow instructions as posted.

For companies which are currently verified, and their verification will expire within the next 120 days, those companies should process their renewal through the VA's CVE system. These companies should have received correspondence from the VA's CVE alerting them of their expiration date and directions for renewing their status.

Companies that are not currently verified will have a one-year grace period starting on January 1, 2023 to complete the SBA's application for certification and become certified.

Contact Marc Violante at [email protected] or 920-456-9990 for assistance on the transition or veteran business certifications.

DoD confronting ‘Valley of Death,’ other innovation bottlenecks

The Defense Department is evaluating its own processes with an eye toward making it easier for small companies to provide innovative solutions. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said the DoD innovation steering group is central to those efforts, which includes mapping out the transition process from prototype or commercially available product to DoD contract.

New VA portals provide simplicity, transparency to vendor interactions

The Department of Veterans Affairs is trying to streamline how contractors interact with the department. Last month it announced the Pathfinder site, a new digital one-stop shop for contractors looking to work with the VA. On June 7, that website officially went live.

“This is a focused point of entry to selling and innovating with VA for our industry partners,” said Michael Parrish, VA’s chief acquisition officer, in a press release. “It fills a gap we’ve found in the acquisition lifecycle by creating the fusion of acquisition and innovation with this intelligent system.”

Contractual Remedies to Ensure Contractor Compliance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Clause 252.204-7012...

From the Office of Mr. John M. Tenaglia serves as the Principal Director, Defense Pricing and Contracting (DPC) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) – June 21 2022 - Contractual Remedies to Ensure Contractor Compliance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Clause 252.204-7012, for contracts and orders not subject to Clause 252.204-7020; and Additional Considerations Regarding National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-171 Department of Defense Assessments.

For assistance on contract issues or compliance or security, contact Marc Violante at [email protected] or 920-456-9990.

Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Maximizing the Use of American-Made Goods, Products, and Materials (DFARS Case 2019-D045)

DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement an Executive order regarding maximizing the use of American-made goods, products, and materials. Effective date June 23, 2022.

SASC Completes Markup of Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act

Each year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizes funding levels and provides authorities for the U.S. military and other critical defense priorities, ensuring our troops have the training, equipment, and resources they need to carry out their missions. On June 16, 2022, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted in bipartisan fashion, 23-3, to advance the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 to the Senate floor.

Stay “Small” Longer: Recent Changes Make It Easier for Growing Businesses to Pursue Small Business Contracts from the Federal Government

On June 6, 2022, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a Final Rule changing how a company calculates its size under an employee-based size standard. In recent years, the SBA also changed how a business calculates its size under a revenue-based size standard. These changes make it easier for growing companies to retain their small business status longer, enabling them to continue to pursue prime contracts or subcontracting opportunities reserved for small businesses. Below, we summarize the key rules going forward for determining whether a business is “small” for purposes of federal government contracts.

SBA working to reform category management, reverse decline in small business contractors

The federal government regularly achieves its goal of awarding 23% of eligible federal contracting dollars to small businesses, but that overall success has obscured a growing number of concerns surrounding the small business contracting ecosystem.