Small Business Administration

• Inside the Reporter’s Notebook: The funny side of strategic sourcing; NSTIC turns 3

  In this edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller shares news and buzz about the IT and acquisition communities. GSA and SBA continue their ongoing quarrel over the Office Supplies 3 contract, and April marks the three-year anniversary of NSTIC's release.

  Technology

  April 28, 2014
• Concerns over contract bundling cast shadow over 2013 small business successes

  All signs are pointing to the fact that despite the government spending less overall on acquisition last year, agencies met the statutory goal of awarding at least 23 percent of all prime contracts to small businesses. Experts say contract consolidation and bundling will negatively impact small firms in the coming years.

  Management

  April 25, 2014
• The SBA’s role in saving Detroit

  Gerald Moore, Michigan district director for the Small Business Administration, will talk about the business climate in the city of Detroit and what the SBA is doing to help companies located there. April 18, 2014

  Fed Access

  April 18, 2014
• Industry Chatter: Darryl Hairston & Lourdes Martin-Rosa

  The Small Business Administration is working with agencies across government to boost small business contracting numbers. One of the ways they're doing it is the 8a program. On Industry Chatter, Darryl Hairston, associate administrator for the 8(a) Business Development program at SBA and Lourdes Martin-Rosa, chief executive officer of GovBiz Solutions, discuss where the program is today and where it's going.

  All News

  April 17, 2014
• SBA finds fault with GSA’s strategic sourcing analysis for office supplies

  SBA said GSA's impact analysis failed on two main accounts. SBA said it disagreed on GSA's claim that OS3 is a follow-on contract to OS2 and therefore is not a consolidation of contract requirements subject to the provisions of the Small Business Act. SBA also said GSA's argument that it is "contrary to law" to provide an economic analysis on the consequences of small business on a consolidated contract is wrong.

  Congress

  April 07, 2014
• Lee Dougherty, partner, Fluet, Huber and Hoang

  Small businesses don't have to stay small to qualify for small business work, according to a decision from the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals. The decision sets a precedent for size rules for government contractors. Lee Dougherty, a partner at Fluet, Huber and Hoang, was a guest on In Depth with Francis Rose.

  All News

  April 03, 2014
• Agency watchdogs seek more independence, budget boost

  House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) says agency inspectors general are increasingly facing obstacles in their efforts to uncover waste and misconduct. The top watchdogs at both the Justice Department and the Peace Corps told lawmakers they've faced resistance from their agencies at times in turning over records in recent years. Lawmakers also expressed concern about the impact of across-the-board budget cuts on the operations agency IG operations.

  Congress

  January 15, 2014
• CIO shuffle continues at SBA, DHS, OPM

  SBA, OPM have new CIOs as the carousel in government IT spins once again.

  Technology

  December 20, 2013
• VA puts reverse auctions on hiatus again to study value proposition

  The Veterans Affairs Department's decision comes as lawmakers are putting this acquisition concept under more scrutiny. House Veterans Affairs and Small Business Committee lawmakers question whether agencies are getting the best prices and whether they are sacrificing competition. GAO, other experts say OFPP needs to develop a governmentwide policy for reverse auctions.

  Congress

  December 11, 2013
• VA retains the decider role over veteran-owned status protests

  In an interim final rule issued last week in the Federal Register, VA announced it would not cede the control of deciding on socio-economic status protests to the Small Business Administration. VA moved the decision authority to the director of the Center for Veterans Enterprise instead of the director of the Office of Small and Disadvantage Business Utilization (OSDBU).

  Defense

  October 07, 2013
• SBA names Jeanne Hulit as acting chief

  The Small Business Administration names agency official Jeanne Hulit as its acting head. Current SBA Administrator Karen Mills will leave her position at the end of August.

  Management

  August 21, 2013
• Bill to give SBA complete oversight of veteran small business program

  House Small Business and Veterans Affairs committee members plan to introduce a bill Thursday to make the service-disabled veteran-owned small business program less cumbersome, confusing and more transparent.

  Congress

  July 31, 2013
• New rule requires larger focus on small business subcontractors

  The Small Business Administration issued a final rule to implement the Small Business Jobs Act. It requires prime contractors to report when they do not pay small business contractors on time. Contracting officers also must oversee small business subcontractor performance more closely.

  Management

  July 17, 2013
• SBA relying on shared services to improve cyber posture

  Chase Garwood, the SBA acting CIO, said the agency is working with DHS and Justice to improve the security of its internal and external customer-facing systems. July 4, 2013

  Ask the CIO

  July 04, 2013