Bush Administration Encourages Use of AbilityOne Program

On Monday, February 11, President Bushed signed a memorandum to various Federal procurement officials, reminding them to purchase goods and services from the AbilityOne program. Formerly known as the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Program, AbilityOne employs thousands of blind or severely disabled workers, creates jobs and training opportunities for disabled Americans, and encourages the government to purchase products and services provided by nonprofit agencies that employ disabled workers. According to the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, purchases from AbilityOne aid in the reductions of the 70% unemployment rate of the blind and severely disabled.

Full Article: Bush urges federal agencies to purchase from blind, severely disabled

Big News for Small Businesses

In a February 5, 2008 hearing on regulatory fairnesss, American Small Business League (ASBL) Communications Director Chris Gunn highlighted a need for greater enforcement of the regulations created to prevent the diversion of Federal small business contracts to large companies and their subsidiaries. As a result of this testimony, the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Government Contracting and Business Development will be conducting a high level review to determine whether or not large businesses are receiving small business procurement awards and agencies are receiving credit for these awards.

According to estimations by the ASBL, more than $100 billion in Federal small business contracts go to some of the largest corporations in the United States and Europe, instead of to legitimate small businesses. There have been no fines or penalties for these misrepresentations to date, despite regulations that allow for hefty fines and even imprisonment.

The ASBL believes that the SBA is not enforcing these regulations, and even claims that the SBA falsifies the small business goaling report to make it seem like goals are being met. Solutions like annual re-certification, the Fairness and Transparency in Contacting Act of 2008, and the enforcement of current regulations have been proposed to remedy this gross misconduct.

In a nutshell, this means more small businesses will have a chance to win contracts in the future that might otherwise have been slipped to large corporations. However, it becomes even more important now to make certain that companies contracting as small businesses are not in violation of any size standards. If you're a small business looking for ways to get a piece of the Federal procurement pie, we'll be happy to help.

Full Text: SBA National Ombudsman Mandates High Level Review of ASBL Testimony

Election 2008

When you head to the polls to vote, chances are that you've chosen your candidates based on their views on the war in Iraq, education, healthcare, same-sex marriage, abortion, gun control, and several other hot button issues. But businesses don't get a chance to cast a unified vote, which means that your vote will have to represent what you want for your company as well. An article published in January 2008 in Washington Technology gives you a broad look at how the turning tides of politics will affect technology, GSA Schedules, Federal spending, and political initiatives. A must read for anyone with their hands in the Federal procurement cookie jar: Forecast 2008: Chart your course.

Business Ethics: No longer just a good idea.

An article published on Monday, February 11 in Washington Technology explains how, as of the end of 2007, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) now contains a subpart requiring contractors to establish a code of business ethics and conduct. This will only apply for contracts valued in excess of $5 million or with a period of performance greater than 120 days, but it also carries with it a requirement that all large businesses implement ongoing business ethics training. Several other requirements are also included, and more are likely to follow later in 2008. For more details, read the full article: Business ethics the latest addition to FAR

What does this mean for you? First and foremost, it is essential that you learn what parts of the FAR will apply to your contracts and how to remain fully in compliance. While your company may not have any ethics issues or violations of procurement law, if this subpart applies to your contracts, you will still have to meet the various reporting, training, and other ongoing requirements. Prepare early - get your official ethics systems in place early so compliance is not even a concern. And if you don't enjoy staying up late at night to pour over the FAR and various contract requirements, let us help. We'll be happy to guide you to success.

For all IT companies and contractors...

With only 7% of solicitations fully compliant with Section 508 accessibility requirements in late 2007, the General Services Administration is increasing efforts to bring government agencies in line with Section 508 regulations. This initiative has begun with the implementation of a new grading system based on a random sampling of electronic and IT solicitations on the Federal Business Opportunities website. These inspections will determine whether or not contracting officers and 508 coordinators are complying with the law which requires agencies to buy electronics and technology that people with disabilities can use.

In anticipation of this gradual shift towards enforcing full compliance, you can familiarize yourself with Section 508 requirements and ensure that your IT products are already Section 508 compliant. Following these stipulations will make your company's products more valuable to contracting officers looking to avoid low grades for their agency.

Full Article: GSA to grade agencies on 508 compliance

GSA officials are now reviewing vendors on the information technology schedule to determine if they are offering IPv6-compliant products and services. Vendors are being asked to specify how they comply with IPv6 and what test criteria they used. This is one of several initiatives GSA is undertaking to prepare for the June 30, 2008 deadline to have all network backbones IPv6 compliant and to begin using the new protocol.

As with the Section 508 compliance, this is another area where you can get ahead by ensuring in advance that your products and services are IPv6-compliant. This will make working with the information technology schedule easier for you in the future, and will help you to be better prepared for the eventual transition to IPv6.

Full Article: GSA ensuring offerings are IPv6-compliant