OFCCP Announces New Regulations on Disability and Veterans Employment
On August 27, 2013, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) announced new rules outlining how federal contractors should handle their affirmative action and nondiscrimination obligations for protected veterans and for individuals with disabilities under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (“VEVRAA”), governing protected veterans, and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act (“Section 503”), governing persons with disabilities. The new rules attempt to measure federal contractors’ progress toward achieving equal opportunity for people with disabilities and protected veterans . . . Read More
New SBA Rule Imposes Stricter Standards Affecting Size and Status Representations
Last Friday, the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) issued the long-awaited final rule implementing provisions of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (“Jobs Act”) pertaining to small business size and status integrity. The new rule, while softened from the proposed rule, implements a strict standard with wide-ranging consequences for contractors representing their size or status under the System for Award Management (“SAM”) database or submitting a proposal under a solicitation reserved or intended for small businesses or businesses participating . . . Read More
Subcontracting to mentors: a growing risk? – Tony Franco, Alex Levine, Set-Aside Alert
VA Seeks Comments on How to Improve its SDVOSB Regulations
On May 13, 2013, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, seeking comments on how to improve the regulations governing the VA’s Verification Program for SDVOSBs and VOSBs. See 78 Fed. Reg. 27882 (May 13, 2013). The VA is planning to amend its regulations to provide greater clarity, to streamline the verification program, and to encourage more veteran-owned firms to participate in the program. As an . . . Read More
SBA Issues Amendment to WOSB Regulations Lifting Limitation on Dollar Amounts
On May 7, 2013, the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) issued an amendment to its women-owned small business (“WOSB”) federal contract program regulations which lifted the limitation on the dollar amount of a contract that can be set aside for WOSBs. See 78 Fed. Reg. 26504 (May 7, 2013). This amendment takes immediate effect.
COFC Rejects VA’s Interpretation of Unconditional Ownership for SDVOSBs
In our February 6, 2013 Client Alert regarding new developments for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (“SDVOSBs”), we discussed the U.S. Court of Federal Claims’ (“COFC”) decision in KWV, Inc. v. United States and the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recent report on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ verification process for SDVOSBs. Yesterday, the COFC issued another ruling that impacts the issues discussed in our February 6th Client Alert and that ruling will have important ramifications for veteran ownership in SDVOSBs. This . . . Read More
Recent Developments for the VA’s Veterans First Program
This Client Alert details two recent developments for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans First Program. Last month, the Government Accountability Office released a report detailing its examination of the VA’s verification process for VOSBs and SDVOSBs. A few weeks later, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims issued its decision in KWV, Inc. v. United States, a case that dealt with a conflict between the VA’s verification process and a post-award VOSB protest determination, as well as a veteran’s . . . Read More
FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act: Impacts on Small Business Government Contracting
On January 3, 2012, the U.S. Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (“NDAA”). While the NDAA covers many issues relevant to the government contracting community at large, it also includes new, noteworthy amendments to the Small Business Act. The 2013 NDAA provides some significant changes to small business government contracting. Most importantly, the rule governing limitations on subcontracting has been revised. The new rule implements two substantive changes. First, for services contracts, the new limitation . . . Read More