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Government Contractor’s Blog

The SBA is serving our entrepreneurial veterans

Last Friday, the Small Business Association (SBA) announced that it would invest $3.5 million in grant funding to create veterans business outreach centers (VBOCs) in seven new locations, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, and South Carolina. The purpose of this investment is to expand entrepreneurial training and counseling services for veterans and military spouses who own and operate small businesses. (ExecutiveGov April 24, 2023)

The VBOCs will assist veteran-owned small business in various aspects such as business planning, loan application, marketing and outreach efforts. Additionally, grants will be set up to support Boots to Business classes to help active duty service members transition and determine whether entrepreneurship is a practical transition strategy.(ibid)

Isabella Casillas Guzman, administrator of the SBA, stated that “with this expansion of our veteran-focused network of small business centers, we can help more transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses start and grow their businesses and advance our economy.” (ibid)

Interested in grant funding for your veteran owned small business? Give us a call.

2025 minimum wage is set, mostly

The Labor Department recently set new minimum wages for federal contractors, ranging from $9.30 per hour for tipped workers to $17.75 per hour, depending on job type. A pair of notices from the Federal Register lays out the specifics. Starting next January, federal contractors with agreements signed, renewed, or extended after January 2022 must receive a minimum wage of $17.75 per hour, regardless of whether they receive tips. This move stems from a 2021 executive order by President Biden, which expanded his $15 minimum wage mandate to federal contractors and required annual updates based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). (Government Executive October 3, 2024)

For contracts signed before January 2022, the minimum wage for non-tipped workers will rise from $12.90 to $13.30 per hour, and tipped workers will see an increase in their “cash wage” from $9.05 to $9.30 per hour. Although this dual system is complex, Labor officials expect all contracts to soon fall under the new executive order, streamlining wage regulations. (ibid)

Despite the complexity of this dual wage system, Labor Department officials expect that soon all federal contracts will fall under the new executive order, eliminating the need for the older wage structure. (ibid)

Have questions about which minimum wage structure your contracts are covered under? Give us a call.

Rising Civilian IT Spending Trends for FY 2025

IT spending among federal civilian agencies has surged in recent years. It is expected to continue with spending priorities for fiscal 2025 to include cybersecurity, AI, enhancing public services, and IT modernization. The total civilian IT budget has grown by 8.1% since 2023, reaching $76.8 billion for 2025. The Department of Education, Social Security Administration, and Department of Homeland Security are set to see the largest budget increases, while Veterans Affairs, NASA, and Agriculture face reductions. (Washington Technology October 7, 2024)

Key FY2025 Civilian IT Priorities:

  • Cybersecurity: Spending increases by 15% to $13 billion, with a focus on public safety, implementing Executive Order 14028, Federal Zero Trust Strategy, and other software supply chain security and OMB memorandums. Agencies must prioritize zero-trust principles and cryptography, especially in vulnerable, sensitive systems. (ibid)
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): Major funding supports Executive Order 14110, establishing chief AI officers and allocating $300 million for AI risk management, plus $40 million for hiring and training AI talent. (ibid)
  • Digital Public Experience: Efforts to improve digital services for the civilian sector under Executive Order 14058 and the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act. (ibid)
  • Data as a Strategic Asset: Emphasizing better use of data in decision-making, guided by the Federal Data Strategy.
  • IT Modernization: Adoption of modern technologies and retiring legacy systems, with an additional $75 million for the Technology Modernization Fund. (ibid)

Agency Highlights:

  • VA: Despite reduced budget requests, the VA is innovating AI integration, allocating $420.7 million for CRM, streamlining veteran services, and piloting AI for better productivity. (ibid)
  • CISA: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency seeks $442 million for its CADS program, aimed at advancing cybersecurity analytics and data systems to detect, mitigate, and prevent cyber threats. (ibid)

As federal budgets are finalized, IT providers might align their solutions with these key programs and priorities for success.

Questions about Fiscal Year 2025 spending? Give us a call.

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Does your MAS software contract comply?

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requires federal agencies to use only software that meets government-specified secure development practices. To comply, agencies require software producers to complete a form attesting that their software follows National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) guidelines. These self-attestation forms may be publicly posted by software producers, or, if not, uploaded to a Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) repository accessible by agencies. (buy.gsa.gov August 27, 2024)

Ordering activities should review publicly posted attestation forms, those already in the CISA repository, or add new forms to the repository. If a software producer cannot attest to all required practices, the ordering activity must require them to submit a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) and review it before using the software. (ibid)

What Does This Mean For You?

  • MAS contractors without software on their MAS contract need not take any action.
  • MAS contractors with awarded software:
    • If the software producer has already posted or provided a form to the CISA repository, they don’t need to submit it again for the same software version.
    • If not, the software producer or MAS contractor must upload a completed form to the CISA repository. If the producer cannot attest to all practices, the ordering activity will require a POA&M for any deficiencies. (ibid)

Have questions or need forms? Give us a call.

SBA Certifications Upgrade: What You Need to Know

The Small Business Administration (SBA) will upgrade the process for applying for and managing federal contracting certifications. Here’s what you need to know:

The SBA’s certification upgrade begins August 1, 2024. During the upgrade, the SBA will not accept initial certification applications. The upgraded system should be available for new certifications in early September. (certify.sba.gov)

What Does This Mean for My Firm?

  • Most certified firms will not be impacted by the application pause.
  • New or prospective applicants should wait to apply after the upgrade.
  • The SBA will process applications submitted before August 1, 2024, in the order received.
  • Firms needing to renew should receive guidance from their certification program.
  • Firms facing a critical contracting deadline can contact certifications@sba.gov and provide the proposal number, agency, and bid due date. (ibid)

Which Certifications Are Impacted by the Upgrade?

  • Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)
  • Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB)
  • 8(a) Business Development Program
  • Veteran Small Business Certification (VOSB)
  • Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
  • Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) Program (ibid)

The SBA will provide more resources and guidance in the coming days.

Have questions or need additional guidance, give us a call.

The Bad, the Ugly and some Good

Small businesses experienced a mixed bag in their pursuit of federal contracts during fiscal year 2023. On one hand, the government allocated a record-breaking $178.6 billion to small businesses, marking a significant increase from previous years. However, this surge in funding was accompanied by a concerning trend: a decline in the number of small businesses securing prime government contracts, dropping by 2.2 percent compared to the previous fiscal year. (INC. May 1, 2024)

Despite receiving a larger share of federal contracting dollars, small businesses faced formidable challenges in competing for contracts. The competitive landscape remains dominated by larger, more established players, placing smaller enterprises at a disadvantage due to their limited resources. Contract bundling further exacerbates the issue by consolidating contracts into larger, more complex opportunities that are often inaccessible to smaller firms. (ibid)

Another hurdle for small businesses is the complexity of federal contracts, which can be daunting to navigate. The House of Representatives recently passed a bill aimed at simplifying the language within federal contracts to make them more accessible and comprehensible to small businesses. This initiative seeks to level the playing field and enhance the competitiveness of smaller players in the federal contracting arena. (ibid)

Despite these challenges, the Small Business Administration (SBA) under Administrator Isabel Guzman has implemented initiatives to expand contracting opportunities for small businesses. This includes revising size standards to broaden access to agency programs, benefitting thousands of entrepreneurs across various industries. While progress has been made in meeting procurement spending targets for certain small-business categories, there is still work to be done to ensure that all small businesses have equitable access to federal contracting opportunities. (ibid)

Do you have questions about size standards or a particular upcoming opportunity? Please give us a call.