The government is a reliable customer that pays it bills on time. That is, if the contractor submits an invoice that is correct, on time and per the instructions in the contract. Understandably, government contractors tend to focus on the scope of work but paying attention to the administrative requirements in the contract is equally … Read more
In case you missed our latest newsletter, you can view it here. Articles include: New Year Resolutions for Government Contractors Wildfire Contracting 2020 Great Falls based Action Plumbing Plus nominated for the 2020 U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Veteran Owned Business of the Year award. Obsolete System Used by Wildland Fire Suppression Contractors to be … Read more
The final rule issued by the Small Business Administration (SBA) on November 26, 2019 that implement changes to the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program goes into effect today. If you’ve been unable to meet the requirements for HUBZone certification in the past, it’s not likely that this new rule will change that, but these changes should … Read more
The Department of Defense (DOD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is coming in 2020. What does that mean? While the FAR and DFARS already contain provisions requiring contractors to implement cybersecurity measures when dealing with unclassified information (FAR 52.204-21; DFARS 252.204-7012), this certification program will be a new level of enforcing those regulations. And while … Read more
MT PTAC Missoula During the winter in Montana, business owners often take time to develop a plan for the coming year. Consider these resolutions as you strategize and grow your government sales plan for the New Year. Create or enhance your company’s Capability Statement. This important tool for communicating your core competencies is a great … Read more
Companies that have agreements with government agencies to provide support for wildland fire suppression or all-hazard incidents will have a new system to learn before the 2020 fire season. The Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS), which has been in use since 2003, is being replaced by the Interagency Resource Ordering Capability (IROC). While ROSS … Read more
Earlier this year, the Small Business Administration (SBA) increased the receipts-based business size standards for 518 industries. These adjustments were made to account for inflation that has occurred since the last adjustment in 2014. The SBA will continue to review size standards every five years, as mandated by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. … Read more
Every year the US Forest Service leases equipment, with operators, from private vendors through what are called Incident Blanket Purchase Agreements (I-BPA). These are primarily multiple year, multiple award agreements, where owners of equipment, such as excavators and fire engines (called “resources”), agree to lease out their equipment for a set price before the fire … Read more
If you maintain your company’s entity registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), you’ve seen the “Size Metrics” page that asks for your company’s average annual receipts and number of employees. Entering accurate information on this page is critical, as it determines whether your company qualifies as a small business in the industries you … Read more
I was reviewing minutes from the September 10 meeting of the Board of Madison County Commissioners and saw that they had approved the Cooperative Purchasing Memorandum of Understanding with the Montana Department of Administration. It reminded me that in Montana, local governments, school districts, tribal governments other “local procurement units” are permitted by law to … Read more