Sect. 809 Panel’s report

     The Defense Dept.’s Section 809 Panel issued a 60-page Interim Report in May outlining its approach to reforming defense procurements by removing unnecessary regulations, among other means.

      The interim report says incremental changes have not been effective, and a more comprehensive approach is needed.

      By Aug. 18, the report says, the panel “will make recommendations that comprehensively strip away the regulatory underbrush that hampers the department’s ability to maintain a competitive advantage in the face of the country’s enemies,” the report states.

More information: Report: http://goo.gl/2sJwC0

VA assistance brief gone

     The Veterans Affairs Dept.’s most recent advice to veterans on how to file for verification as small business owners has been removed from the VA website--apparently in response to criticism that it contained incorrect legal information.

      Attorney Steve Koprince and others pointed out its mistakes. Koprince wrote in a blog that the VA’s guidance on profit distributions from joint ventures was wrong. “Far from being helpful, then, this Verification Assistance Brief is dangerous,” Koprince added.

      A VA spokesperson told Set-Aside Alert that the mistakes were corrected. However, the Web link to the brief now shows an error message.

More information: Koprince blog: http://goo.gl/kK43QD
Weblink: http://goo.gl/8KXaDu

GSA IG advises savings from schedules contracts

      The General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General, in its recent semiannual report, recommended $134 million in “savings” that could be made as a result of three pre-award audits of GSA schedule contracts with combined projected government sales of $1.2 billion.

      That is more than a 10% cut. The GSA IG said management agreed with its recommendations.

      The problems included contracts with incomplete or inaccurate information on commercial sales practices, proposed labor rates that were overstated, schedule customers being overbilled and ineffective compliance with the Price Reductions Clause. In addition, the audit found one or more contractors that did not cite prompt payment discounts or did not have adequate controls to report its sales.

More information: GSA IG Report: http://goo.gl/fheL5C

Bill to examine if MACs are good for small vendors

      Sens. Joni Ernst, R-IA, and Kirsten Gillibrand D-NY, recently introduced a bill (S. 1038) that would examine how multiple-award contracts (MACs) are affecting contracting with small businesses in the socioeconomic categories.

      The bill reportedly was sparked by a report commissioned by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) that showed that few MACs had reserved tracks for women-owned vendors.

      Under the bill, the SBA would need to conduct a study on socio-economic group participation in the MACs.

      “This is an important step to ensure that all small businesses have equal access to contracts, increasing opportunities for women-owned small businesses,” WIPP wrote in a notice to members.

More information: WIPP notice: http://goo.gl/JlNkbd

New executives named at SBA

No more triple credit for three certifications?

DHS halts $1.5B small biz contract

4th Quarter rush could be early

VA vendors: don’t name VA in ads

Column: What you need to know before you search for a mentor

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