Controversial contract to 1-person small biz

      The FEMA contract called for 30 million meals for Puerto Ricans left destitute by the Hurricane Maria. Only 50,000 meals were delivered.

      Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are investigating why FEMA awarded the $156 million contract to a woman-owned small business that was run by its owner and had no other employees.

      FEMA terminated the contract several weeks after it was awarded due to insufficient performance.

      The company, Tribute Contracting LLC, is owned and operated by Tiffany Brown. The firm had experienced some federal contracting snafus in the past, according to the New York Times.

      Tribute is appealing the termination and asking for $70 million in restitution.

More information: New York Times story: http://goo.gl/CG8yQS

Senate Small Biz gets new Dem leader

      Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) is the new Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, taking over the role from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

      Shaheen was instrumental in achieving a number of small business contracting reforms while serving as Ranking Member, including several HUBZone reforms in the recent National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 2018.

81% of NAICS code appeals fail: GAO

      While business owners have expressed concerns about how NAICS codes are assigned to contracts, the SBA has defended the code assignments, GAO said in a recent report.

      Out of 62 NAICS appeals filed with SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals from 2014 to 2016, 15 were denied and 35 were dismissed. The appeals were unsuccessful 81% of the time.

More information: GAO report: https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-76

Trump signs 13% hike in US spending

SBA, GSA preparing 2018 regulations

SBA proposes vet-owned rule

Small firms filing most DOD protests

DOL letters to 1K contractors

Trump plan for infrastructure

Column: Do millennials pose a retention risk?

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