FAR, DFARS amendments going into effect

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) councils issued the following final rules:

• Final rule to adjust acquisition thresholds for inflation; effective Oct. 1. See http://goo.gl/PTY306
• Final Rule with regard to prohibiting contracting with inverted domestic corporations; effective Nov. 1. See http://goo.gl/BlQuA2
• Final rule to update product and service codes; effective Aug. 3. See http://goo.gl/nTqft5
• Final rule on clarification of justifications for urgent noncompetitive awards exceeding one year; effective Aug. 3. See http://goo.gl/hMSwuU
• Final rule for permanent authority to use simplified acquisition procedures for certain commercial items; effective Aug. 3. See http://goo.gl/DM4gAz

Also, the Defense Department issued a final rule to amend the DFARS to cover allowability of legal costs for whistleblower proceedings. Became effective June 26. See http://goo.gl/nLJ5m9

GSA exec gets prison

Jeffrey Neely, former Acting Regional Administrator of the General Services Administration, was sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty to making a false claim to the U.S. government, the Justice Department announced.

Neely was the public face of the GSA conference scandal; a photo showing him in a hot tub was widely distributed on the Internet. He admitted he submitted a false reimbursement claim for lodging at a Las Vegas spa.

Vendors pay fines

VMware Inc. and Carahsoft Technology Corp. agreed to pay $75.5 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, the Justice Department said. The firms were accused of misrepresenting their commercial pricing and overcharging the government.

“Transparency by contractors in the disclosure of their discounts and prices offered to commercial customers is critical in the award of GSA Multiple Award Schedule contracts and the prices charged to government agency purchasers,” a DOJ official said in a news release.

VA admits to improper reporting for contracts, but not fraud

A senior Veterans Affairs Department official acknowledged the VA made some purchases outside of authorized federal acquisition channels but it was to meet patients’ urgent needs.

Thomas Leney, executive director of the VA’s Office of Small and disadvantaged business Utilization, testified on behalf of the VA in a joint hearing of a House Veterans Affairs oversight subcommittee and the House Small Business investigations subcommittee.

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-CO, accused the VA of fraud, but Leney said that was inaccurate. Leney also said the VA has addressed the problems and contract accounting now is being performed properly.

"I am not prepared to say that this is an issue of fraud," Leney said at the hearing. "This is an issue of improper accounting."

More information: Hearing video: http://goo.gl/df5XAK
FierceGov report: http://goo.gl/lqrHJJ

Q4 especially strong for small firms: report

Small biz goals met -- with criticism

Which US agencies have not met FY15 small biz goals yet?

Fiscal 2014 Small Business Goals Report

Washington Insider: