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Govology: Tip of the Month

Delinquent federal taxes can create serious consequences for government contractors beyond standard IRS collection efforts. Federal contractors are often required to certify that they do not have unresolved unpaid federal tax liabilities and that all required tax returns have been filed. These certifications appear in several FAR clauses, and inaccurate or false certifications can result […]

Prime contractors in federal contracting are responsible for assigning the appropriate NAICS code to each subcontract they issue—contrary to a common misconception that the NAICS code from the prime contract automatically flows down. For large businesses, this responsibility is explicitly required under FAR 52.219-9 and SBA regulations, which mandate selecting the NAICS code that best […]

Recent GAO bid protest decisions make one thing clear: strict compliance with proposal formatting instructions is not optional. Even minor deviations—such as using an unapproved font, exceeding page limits, adding an extra cover page, including prohibited text in a logo, or submitting pricing in the wrong format—can result in outright exclusion from the competition, regardless […]

Federal government contractors–and especially small businesses–often find themselves competing under solicitations subject to the Buy American Act (BAA). While the BAA’s name may sound like a mandate to purchase only American-made products, the BAA is actually a domestic preference statute that can give a leg up to contractors providing domestic products, but does not prohibit […]

Recently, the U.S. Small Business Administration made headlines by announcing that it was investigating an 8(a) Program contractor for potentially violating the limitations on subcontracting imposed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the SBA’s regulations. The SBA’s investigation serves as a strong reminder that small business prime contractors must strictly follow subcontracting limits and fully […]

Federal government contracting solicitations frequently impose page limits on proposals. Failing to strictly abide by those limits may have serious consequences. It is common sense that if a prospective contractor, for example, submits a 50-page technical proposal when the solicitation limits responses to 25 pages, the proposal likely will be excluded from the competition; allowing […]

Under a program called “Veterans First,” service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses and veteran-owned small businesses can get a powerful leg up in federal government contracting. For SDVOSBs, VOSBs, and potential teammates, understanding the contours and limitations of this powerful program can make a big strategic difference in selling to Uncle Sam. What is Veterans First? Veterans […]

Federal law requires that the government as a whole, as well as individual procuring agencies, attempt to meet certain goals for awarding prime contracting and subcontracting dollars to small businesses and certain subcategories of small businesses. Understanding the government’s small business goals can make a company more competitive in the federal government marketplace. What Are […]

The primary rulebook for U.S. federal government contractors, the Federal Acquisition Regulation, is in the midst of a top-to-bottom overhaul. This process, known as the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, or RFO, is intended to “return the FAR to its statutory roots, rewritten in plain language” to make the rules easier to understand and follow for contractors […]

Understanding and Effectively Using Product and Service Codes If you are involved in federal government contracting, you’re probably familiar with North American Industry Classification System Codes, better known as NAICS codes. But government buyers also use a lesser-known type of code, called Product and Service Codes, or PSCs. For contractors, understanding PSCs and effectively using […]