December 2024: Reducing the Negative Impacts of a Government Shutdown for Federal Contractors -
Once again, the specter of a government shutdown looms over the federal contracting community. The federal government is set...more
Trump 2.0: Implications for Federal Spending and the Workforce -
The election of former President Trump has the potential to significantly change the federal procurement landscape. As with his first term, President-elect...more
While the COVID-19 pandemic may feel like a distant memory for many, its effects continue to reverberate for others—particularly for businesses that obtained loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Whether...more
11/21/2024
/ Borrowers ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
False Statements ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Fraud ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Popular ,
SBA
The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently issued a proposed rule (Rule) that would significantly change a government contractor’s obligations to recertify its size and socioeconomic status under set-aside contracts and...more
Prepare to (Semi)Conduct Your Due Diligence! Proposed Rule to Prohibit Certain Semiconductor Products and Services -
Whether you’re aware or not, semiconductors are part of a vast variety of electronics. Semiconductors...more
8/1/2024
/ Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
FCC ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
FinCEN ,
NLRB ,
SBA ,
Semiconductors ,
USDA ,
USPTO
7(a) Loan Approval for Borrowers with Unresolved COVID-19 Pandemic Loan Compliance Issues: On May 21, SBA’s OIG issued an inspection report assessing SBA’s 7(a) loan approval process for borrowers with unresolved pandemic...more
Focus on SBA’s SBIC Program, Part 3: Demystifying the Intricacies of the SBIC Application Process -
The Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program is emerging as a powerful financial tool for small business...more
2/1/2024
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
GAO ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
IRS ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
U.S. Commerce Department
Department of Defense (DOD) Final Rule: Inapplicability of Certain Laws and Regulations to Commercial Items -
DOD issues this Final Rule to amend the DFARS to address the inapplicability of certain laws and regulations to...more
11/27/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
GAO ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
SBA ,
Small Business
Substantive cybersecurity amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) are underway, significantly altering the duties and obligations of federal government contractors both prior to award and during contract...more
11/20/2023
/ Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
SBA ,
Small Business
Protecting Our Nation’s Data, Part 2: Implementing Cyber Threat Incident Reporting and Information Sharing -
In October 2023, the federal government released a Proposed Rule aimed at incorporating new cybersecurity...more
In October 2023, the federal government released a Proposed Rule aimed at incorporating new cybersecurity reporting requirements into the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). In this second installment of PilieroMazza’s...more
11/8/2023
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
SBA ,
Small Business ,
Subcontractors
BID PROTESTS -
GAO Sustains Protests of CIO-SP4 Procurement -
On June 29, 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained protesters’ challenge of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National...more
Pentagon Wants Authority to Start Work on New Technologies Without Congressional Approval -
In recent years, Congress has passed several pieces of legislation meant to speed up the Defense Department’s (DOD) acquisition...more
5/12/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
SBA ,
Small Business
Based on new rules that take effect on May 10, 2023, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) will now hear appeals from Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) status...more
CONSTRUCTION -
DOL: Biden-Harris Administration Launches Initiative to Promote Equal Opportunity, Expand Workforce for Federally Funded Jobs in Large Infrastructure Projects -
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced...more
3/30/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
DFARS ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Joint Venture ,
SBA ,
Subcontractors ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Vaccinations
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS -
Veterans Affairs Imposes Increased Cybersecurity Rules on Government Contractors -
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a final rule, effective February 24, 2023, amending the...more
3/2/2023
/ Cybersecurity ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
DFARS ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
NASA ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
SBA ,
Subcontractors
SBA Releases Preview of New HUBZone Maps Effective July 1, 2023 -
HUBZone contractors have been anxiously awaiting updates to the HUBZone maps. In 2021, the Small Business Administration (SBA) extended the “freeze” on the...more
1/30/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
HUBZone ,
OMB ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
SCOTUS ,
Small Business ,
U.S. Treasury
HUBZone contractors have been anxiously awaiting updates to the HUBZone maps. In 2021, SBA extended the “freeze” on the HUBZone maps until June 30, 2023, to provide enough time to update the maps based on the 2020 Census...more
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS -
Inflation Relief Is Coming for DOD Contractors -
As PilieroMazza has reported, rising costs due to inflation have been one of the most significant issues facing contractors with fixed-price...more
12/19/2022
/ Department of Defense (DOD) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Opioid ,
SBA ,
Small Business ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions ,
Veterans
The Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a final rule last week, officially transferring the responsibility for certification of veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB) and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses...more
An all but forgotten remedy in government contracting, Extraordinary Contractual Relief (ECR), is in the midst of a potential resurgence due to the Department of Defense’s (DOD) most recent memorandum on inflation entitled...more
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS -
SBA’s Proposed Rule Alters the Landscape for Size and Status Protests -
On September 9, 2022, the Small Business Administration issued a proposed rule (the Rule) making substantial changes to the...more
9/29/2022
/ Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
EEO-1 ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
HUBZone ,
National Security Agency (NSA) ,
OFCCP ,
SBA ,
SDVOSB ,
Small Business ,
Subcontractors ,
WOSB
On September 9, 2022, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a proposed rule (the Rule) making substantial changes to the 8(a) Business Development program. Scattered throughout the Rule are various...more
On September 22, the Senate passed the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Extension Act of 2022. As it heads to the House of Representatives, government contractors in...more