ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD html 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Set-Aside Alert - 10-6-17 - Senate-passed NDAA has measures affecting small biz fed l contractors </TITLE> <meta name="description" content="The premier federal government contract news and information service written especially for small, minority and women-owned businesses"> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="govcon, contracting, contractor, small business, set-aside, set aside, setaside, government contract, OSDBU, small disadvantaged, federal contract, HUBZone, HUB Zone, minority-owned, woman-owned, 8a, 8(a), minority owned, MBE, WBE, WOB, SDB, DBE"> </HEAD> <BODY LINK="#000000" VLINK="#000000"> <!--<center> --> <table> <tr><td width="8%" bgcolor="#DCDCDC"> </td> <td width="84%"> <table> <tr><td> <IMG SRC="set-aside.gif" alt="Set-Aside Alert logo" WIDTH="341" HEIGHT="70" BORDER="0" ALT="Set Aside Alert logo"> </td> <td valign="top"> <FONT FACE="garamond" SIZE="3" COLOR="#D00000"> <i><b>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> Federal Market Intelligence<br> for Small Business</b></i> </font> </td> </tr> </table> <p> <center> <FONT FACE="verdana,tahoma,arial" SIZE="2" color="#D00000"><b> <!--<a href="inside.htm">Wash Insider</a> | --> <a href="saanews.htm">Front Page Headlines </a> | <a href="calendar.htm">Calendar of Events</a> | <a href="awards.htm">Contract Awards</a> | <a href="new8as.htm">Newly-Certified Firms</a> | <a href="dodawds.htm">DoD Small Business Awards</a> | <a href="teamopps.htm">Teaming</a> | <a href="procwatch.htm">Procurement Watch</a> | <a href="http://www.sba8a.com/SAASubscribers/toc.htm">Past Issues</a> | <!--<a href="http://www.setasidealert.com/events2.htm">Meet Us!</a> | --> </b> </font> </center> <table><tr><td> <!-- ENTER DATE HERE --> <left><FONT FACE="verdana,tahoma,arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000"> <i> Oct 6 2017 </i> </font> </left> </td> <td>&nbsp;&nbsp; </td> <td> <FONT FACE="verdana,tahoma,arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000"> <right><i> Next issue: Oct 20 2017 </i></right> </font> </td> </tr></table> <hr> <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"><tr> <!-- Begin main column --> <P> <td width="5%"> </td> <td valign="top" width="60%"> <FONT FACE="verdana,tahoma,arial"> <!-- REPLACE THE STORY HEADLINE AND CONTENT WITH THE APPLICABLE STORY HEAD AND CONTENT. SAVE THE STORY AS STORY1.HTM THRU STORY99.HTM. --> <P> <!--<h2> <i>Set-Aside Alert</i> news analysis: </h2> --> <h1> Senate-passed NDAA has measures affecting small biz fed l contractors </h1> <h4> Provisions for HUBZones, women-owned and veteran-owned </h4> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Senate approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal 2018, authorizing $700 billion for the military and including a number of provisions affecting small business federal contractors. </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The NDAA, considered a must-pass bill each year, typically is the vehicle for small business contracting amendments. </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Senate bill, which passed 89-8, expands defense spending far beyond bipartisan spending caps set in 2011. </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; House and Senate negotiators now must meet to develop a joint bill, which must be passed by both chambers and signed by the president to become law. </p> <p> <b>Small biz contracting items</b> </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Senate focused on HUBZones in several provisions: <ul> <li> Under Sect. 899c, HUBZone firms must have 33% of their employees living in the zone, down from 35% under current law. It would make it easier for HUBZones to remain qualified. <li> The same section says that governors may nominate areas to be HUBZones as long as the unemployment rate is at least 120% of the average for the nation or state, whichever is less. <li> The same section also says that the government must respond to companies applying for HUBZone certification within 60 days. <li> Sect. 10802 stipulates that HUBZones whose zones have been redesignated may remain as HUBZones for seven years. Currently the grace period is three years. <li> Sect. 14012 directs the Small Business Administration to prepare a report on how well socioeconomically-disadvantaged small businesses are faring in federal multiple-award contracts. The small business categories to be examined include firms in HUBZones and in the 8(a) program as well as women-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned vendors. The Women Impacting Public Policy group called the measure  a big victory for women entrepreneurs. <li> Sect. 10601 urges DOD to work with the military exchange stores to feature products from small businesses, particularly veteran-owned small businesses. <li> Sect. 10801 raises the qualifications for SBA Commercial Marketing Representatives (CMRs). The goal, according to Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-IL, sponsor of the amendment, is to help small businesses win DOD contracts by ensuring that the CMRs  are fully empowered to guide them in the process and to advocate for them with the DOD and its contractors. </ul> </p> <p> <b>Other contracting provisions</b> </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Two amendments in the Senate-approved version appear to reinstate some of the goals of the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule under the previous administration. <ul> <li> Sect. 10803 requires the Defense Dept. to put together a list of contractors that have had convictions, indictments and settlements related to alleged fraud. Contracting officials are expected to take the list into account in making awards. <li> Sect. 830 requires contracting officers to take vendors violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations into account in awarding contracts. The contracting officer has the ability to refer the questionable contractors for suspension or debarment. <li> Under Sect. 821, incumbent contractors who file a losing protest against the Defense Dept. would have to reimburse DOD for its costs defending the protest. The provision applies to small firms only when the Government Accountability Office denies all points of the protest. <li> Sect. 938 directs the government to split the responsibility for conducting background checks for security clearances between DOD and the Office of Personnel Management. Currently, those duties are held by OPM. <li> Sect. 1602 authorizes the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center to establish a watch list of poor-performing contractors that would be prohibited from performing contracts for the center, unless the director specifically allows it. <li> Sect. 818 says DOD may not enter into a service contract over $10 million based on specific descriptive personnel and labor hour requirements, unless the program manager and contracting officer first submit a written justification explaining why those requirements were used instead of outcome- or performance-based requirements. <li> Sect. 862 sets up a pilot program that allows DOD to offer loans and grants to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers in the defense industrial base. </ul> </p> <p> <b>Other amendments</b> </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Senate bill also contains: <ul> <li> A ban on creation of a new military Space Corps, which had been proposed in the House bill; <li> $500 million for the Modernizing Government Technology Act; <li> A ban on use of Kaspersky Lab products on DOD systems; <li> The OPEN Government Data Act, which makes government data machine-readable by default. </ul> </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Senate bill does not authorize the government to purchase commercial items online, as was written in the House bill, according to Venable LLP. </p> <p> <!--<b>More information:</b> Shoraka blog: <a href="http://goo.gl/eBC9zp">http://goo.gl/eBC9zp</a> --> </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </font> </td> <!-- Begin secondary column --> <td valign="top" width="35%"> </p> <p> <!-- start contents ------------------------------------- --> <FONT FACE="verdana,tahoma,arial" COLOR="#000000"> <p> <a href="story1.htm"> <h4> Senate-passed NDAA has measures affecting small biz fed l contractors </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story2.htm"> <h4> GAO: OSDBUs non-compliant </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story3.htm"> <h4> Loosening rules for disaster work </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story4.htm"> <h4> Few minorities, women win asset management contracts </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story5.htm"> <h4> Beta version of SAM.gov </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story6.htm"> <h4> A closer look at Sects. 851-854 </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="column.htm"> <h4> Column: DCAA s Pursuit of Penalties for Unallowable Costs </h4> </a> </p> <p> <h4><a href="inside.htm"> Washington Insider: </h4> </p> <p> <h4> <ul> <li> SBA proposes to hear appeals of VA certifications <li> New surety bond changes <li> GAO reviews closeouts </ul> </h4> </a> <p> <a href="correction.htm"> <h4> Correction to Sept. 22 issue </h4> </a> </p> <p> </p> </FONT> <!-- end contents-------------------------------------- --> </p> <p> <p> </td> </tr> </table> <font face="verdana,tahoma,arial" size="2"> <form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/goswish"> <p>Find all past issues containing these words: <br> <input type="text" name="query" size=30> &nbsp;&nbsp; <input type="submit" value="Search"> <input type="reset" value="Reset"></p></form> </p> <br> <hr> <p> Copyright &copy; 2017 Business Research Services Inc. 301-229-5561 All rights reserved. </p> <p> <h6> <i>Set-Aside Alert</i> is published by<br> <b>Business Research Services, Inc.</b><br> 4641 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 208<br> Bethesda MD 20814<br> 1-800-845-8420<br> Fax: 877-516-0818<br> <a href="mailto:brspubs@sba8a.com">brspubs@sba8a.com </a> <br> <a href="http://www.sba8a.com">www.sba8a.com</a> <!-- <ul> <li><a href="http://www.sba8a.com">8(a) Sources</a> <li><a href="http://www.sba8a.com/order.htm">Our Directories</a> <li><a href="http://www.sba8a.com/about.htm">Our Company</a> <li><a href="http://www.setasidealert.com">Events & Seminars</a> </ul> --> </h6> </font> </td> <td width="8%" bgcolor="#DCDCDC"> </td></table> <a title="hits counter" href="http://statcounter.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://c.statcounter.com/10553859/0/0486a933/1/" alt="hits counter" style="border:none;"></a> </BODY> </HTML>