(Click on headlines below to read each full story.) Government misses small biz goal; meets goals for veteran-owned, 8(a)s Total awards drop but not as much as for all contract spending For the seventh year in a row, the federal government fell short of its goal of awarding 23% of eligible contracts to small businesses for fiscal 2012. News analysis: The 4th-quarter buying rush has started! Despite sequestration--and partly because of it--the forecast for the final quarter of fiscal 2013 appears to show the annual spending surge once again. First, gay marriage; next, gay contractor set-asides? The landmark Supreme Court rulings on June 26 broady supported same-sex marriage, but that may be just the first step. House panel hits IRS contractor Strong Castle A House committee probing contracting at the Internal Revenue Service released a highly critical 157-page report charging a small business IRS contractor with multiple questionable activities, including inappropriate communications and various misrepresentations. Column: Using Joint Ventures to Win more Contracts Today’s contracting environment is forcing contractors to become more price competitive. One such strategy to help achieve this is to form a Joint Venture (JV) with another entity or entities to bid an indirect rate structure that is lower than under a typical prime/subcontractor approach. Washington Insider: New rule on losses Small businesses that intentionally misrepresent their size or status to win a federal contract are facing a larger potential liability under a new rule.... OASIS RFP coming The General Services Administration is planning to release a solicitation for the $12 billion OASIS professional services procurement vehicle--small business track--on or around July 24.... ‘Chilling effect’ feared Federal vendor groups are worried about a “chilling effect” on vendor-industry communications as a result of a recent inspector general report.... GSA reverse auctions The General Services Administration launched a new reverse auction online platform..... Low-wage contractors Seventeen House Democrats are trying to raise pay for federal contract workers.....