Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
SBIR Ownerships Rules Change to Allow Venture Capital and Private Equity
Effective January 28, 2013, small business applicants seeking Small Business Innovation Research ( SBIR )Awards will now be permitted to have ownership structures which include a combined majority ownership by two or more venture capital operating companies (VCOCs), hedge funds, and private equity firms. Under the new rules, majority ownerships by VCOCs, hedge funds, or private equity firms will be permitted as long as no single entity owns more than 50% of the applicant.
Department of Veteran Affairs to Receive Tougher Scrutiny Over Small Business Awards
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released its findings of an audit conducted in 2010 on the VA’s Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) programs, and found 76% of the reviewed businesses were either ineligible to participate in the program or for the type of contract awarded. The auditors projected that annually the VA has been issuing $500 million in contracts to businesses that don’t meet the programs’ qualifications. This is especially troubling because of the preference that VOSBs and SDVOSBs receive. In 1999, Congress required the Small Business Administration to create a program that. Read More.
Look for CB&H in New Orleans at the National Veteran Small Business Conference
Join Cherry, Bekaert & Holland the National Veterans Small Business Conference on August 15-18, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs , the conference promises to be the largest of its kind to support veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and other small businesses. You will be able to connect with program managers and procurement decision-makers from the VA and other federal agencies, learn about future requirements to expand business knowledge and contracting opportunities, network with large corporations and government subject matter experts, and choose from more than 120 learning sessions designed to educate both new and established businesses. Leading specialists from CB&H’s Government Contractor Services Group will be on hand, speaking and/or moderating several of. Read More.
Veteran-Owned Businesses Must Develop Close Relationships to Win
During the Sixth Annual Veterans in Business Conference, an expert panel discussed the special opportunities and challenges facing Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB). As GovWin reports, the panel agreed that in creating teaming agreements, relationships are absolutely essential. Moderator Susan Moser, Partner-in-Charge with Cherry, Bekaert & Holland’s Government Contractor Services Group, cautioned, “One of the things I see happen a lot is that you get to the teaming agreement after you’re too far down the path. You’re working on the proposal, you’re providing resumes, and it’s too late to protect yourself with that signed agreement. Don’t be afraid to ask early on. Read More.
Verification of Veteran-Owned Small Businesses Status Required by the VA
On January 3, 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that more than 13,000 veteran-owned businesses must submit documentation to verify their status claiming veteran’s preference for set-aside contracts. In a statement included in a news release, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki is quoted as saying “[a]lthough the verification process may initially be a challenge to some small business owners and to VA, it’s a necessary step to eliminate misrepresentation by firms trying to receive contracts that should go to service-disabled and other veteran-owned vendors.” The verification rules are found at the VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) Subpart 819.70,. Read More.
GAO Set-aside vs. FSS Decision
In Edmond Computer Co., Edmond Scientific Co., B-402863; B402864 (August 25, 2010), the GAO determined that FAR Part 19 set aside procedures do not apply when an agency acquires supplies or services from FSS contractors using FAR Part 8 procedures. Edmond Computer Company and Edmond Scientific Company protest the terms of an RFQ issued by the VA to vendors holding GSA FSS contracts under Group 70. Edmond Computer, a firm that is both a service‑disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) and an FSS holder, and Edmond Scientific, a firm that is both a veteran-owned small business (VOSB) and an FSS holder,. Read More.