Sequestration delayed

While the threat of imminent tax increases has been averted for the vast majority of Americans, small federal contractors are not enthusiastic about the “fiscal cliff” deal reached by the White House and Congress.

The main problem being discussed is that the agreement did not include a compromise to avoid the drastic spending cuts under sequestration, which now is scheduled to begin in March, two months later than the original date.

“While (federal contractors) are glad sequestration is not happening now, a mere short delay does not grant them the certainty and predictability they have lacked, or make them more likely to engage in capital or human investments,” Anthony Critelli, editor of Deltek’s GovWin, wrote in a recent entry.

“This two-month delay may provide a short-term political solution, but it does nothing to add to that consistency and predictability.” Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president of the Professional Services Council, told GovWin.

More information: http://goo.gl/eNQbv

WARN notices needed?

The sequestration delay is renewing discussion about whether contractors should issue sequestration-related layoff notices.

Some contractors could face lawsuits if they do not issue layoff notices to comply wtih the 1988 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, according to an article by GovExec.

The law requires any company with more than 100 employees to issue layoff notices 60 days in advance of any mass layoff or closure.

Large contractors did not issue WARN notices in late 2012. Several are waiting for further guidance from the Obama administration, the article said.

More information: http://goo.gl/LJFxD

RFP-EZ pilot

The Small Business Administration announced a pilot project in which federal agencies will test out the new RFP-EZ (Request for Proposal Easy) platform to make it easier to buy technology from small businesses. The new tool will be used for contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold.

The tool was developed through the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Presidential Innovation Fellows Program.

The RFP-EZ pilot will initially run from Dec. 28, 2012 through May 1, 2013. Agencies will identify individual procurements that can be set aside for small businesses to test the new tool.

The tests will include simplifying the development of statements of work, improving agency access to information about small businesses, enabling small businesses to submit bids electronically, speeding up the efficiencies for evaluating proposals, and improving how data is captured and stored, such as information on prices paid by federal agencies.

For more information: http://goo.gl/0u1o8

GAO protest win rates

Federal contractors win 13% of their Government Accountability Office protests against the Defense Department, but their win rate averages 50% against the State Department, according to a recent study by Bloomberg Government.

The Pentagon had the second-best record of beating contractors on protests among all the large agencies, Bloomberg Government said.

The State Department had the worst record, followed by Housing and Urban Development, which lost 47% of protests against it.

More information: http://goo.gl/3Zruu