8(a) program

SBA and GSA are defending their decision to limit the period of performance under the 8(a) STARS II governmentwide acquisition contract as part of raising the ceiling by $7 billion, saying more than 500 of the 700 small businesses have graduated from the socioeconomic program.

In today’s Federal Newscast, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the House Oversight and Reform Committee the law allows inspectors general on the committee to review spending under the Paycheck Protection Program, and other funds previously in question.

The Defense Department raised its threshold for 8(a) sole source contracts to $100 million as required by the 2020 Defense authorization bill. While not related to coronavirus outbreak, the timing is important.

The U.S. Digital Service helped SBA modernize the applications to apply for government contracting programs.

DSFederal CEO Sophia Parker joins host Mark Amtower of this week’s Amtower Off Center, to discuss the challenges she faced in starting her own company, and DSFederal’s focus on health IT. February 26, 2018

The Justice Department successfully prosecuted executives in companies for obtaining contracts under SBA’s 8(a) program worth more than $153 million. The court found two of the executives guilty on Friday and six others pleaded guilty.

The FAR Councils are adding a new set of controls to contracts worth more than $20 million going to vendors in the socioeconomic program. This interim rule is in reaction to problems that surfaced last year when 8(a) firms were passing most of the work under the award to large businesses. Agencies also have new requirements to determine the order of priority for small business programs, around multiple-award contracts and when to use other than firm-fixed price contracts.

The FAR Councils are adding a new set of controls to contracts worth more than $20 million going to vendors in the socioeconomic program. This interim rule is in reaction to problems that surfaced last year when 8(a) firms were passing most of the work under the award to large businesses. Agencies also have new requirements to determine the order of priority for small business programs, around multiple-award contracts and when to use other than firm-fixed price contracts.

The council will hold three meetings with Alaskan Native and Native American vendors to seek their ideas on how best to write new regulations for sole source contracts in the 8(a) business development program. Congress required new rules for when agencies can give these firms sole source contracts worth more than $20 million.