ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD html 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Set-Aside Alert - 11-03-17 - FOIA shows messy process for wall contracts </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> Nov 3 2017 </i> </font> </left> </td> <td>&nbsp;&nbsp; </td> <td> <FONT FACE="verdana,tahoma,arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000"> <right><i> Next issue: Nov 17 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> exclusive: </h2> <h1> FOIA shows messy process for wall contracts </h1> <!--<h4> </h4> --> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The contracting process for the Trump Administration s recent border wall prototype contract was confusing and messy, according to a <i>USA Today</i> investigation. </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The news media company filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain nearly 200 pages of emails sent to and from a Customs and Border Protection email address. CBP set up the email in March to allow questions. </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The emails revealed  continuous confusion over the most basic details of the process  deadlines, page counts, how to submit bids, where to submit bids and so on, USA Today said. </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The problems included: <ul> <li> The initial solicitation of more than 130 pages asked for bids to be submitted in 12 days, while 30 days is more typical. Small business advocates said the 12-day turnaround was very difficult. <li> The government added 7 amendments during the 12 days containing hundreds of answers to questions. <li> Just before the deadline, CBP allowed an extra week for bids. <li> The initial solicitation was removed within hours. One of the new solicitations was issued in duplicate for no apparent reason. </ul> </p> <p> <b>More information:</b><br> <i>USA Today</i> story: <a href="http://goo.gl/YVd2Ky">http://goo.gl/YVd2Ky</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> VA, SBA preparing to loosen rules on veteran ownership of small firms </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story2.htm"> <h4> FOIA shows messy process for wall contracts </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story3.htm"> <h4> Senate OKs budget, but not done </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story4.htm"> <h4> Did contracts for small biz shrink? </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story5.htm"> <h4>Protests to cost $350 each </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story6.htm"> <h4> SDVOSB fraud </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="story7.htm"> <h4> GSA names VETS2 Awardees </h4> </a> </p> <p> <a href="column.htm"> <h4> Column: Five practical tips to distinguish yourself with the OSDBU in 300 seconds </h4> </a> </p> <p> <h4><a href="inside.htm"> Washington Insider: </h4> </p> <p> <h4> <ul> <li> Puerto Rico canceling controversial no-bid contract <li> Prison for VA contractor <li> FedBid acquired </ul> </h4> </a> <p> <h4> Coming up: </h4> <blockquote> Register for our Alll-Small Mentor-Protege Lessons Learned workshop, <br>November 16, Vienna VA<br> <a href="http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ees4q5j62f5559d9&llr=ihb5twn6">For more info click here </a> </blockquote> </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>