Crowell & Moring’s Post

On August 23, 2024, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) posted a proposed rule to update and clarify aspects of various SBA small business programs, including but not limited to the HUBZone Program and 8(a) Business Development Program. A major theme of the proposed rule is promoting uniformity across the size and status certification programs.  SBA has taken feedback from small businesses that “improvements are needed to make its socioeconomic contracting programs more uniform, in order to relieve burdens associated with compliance with multiple programs.” Read more about this rule change in this great piece from Crowell & Moring: https://lnkd.in/e4ReFS6p

The SBA proposed many interesting rules. Response deadline is 10/7. Calling friends to review and respond. I know it's a late call, but the SBA does need to hear from the industry more. The proposed rules will eliminate a large chunk of small business backlogs, cutting small business value to a fraction, incapacitating their ability to innovate, creating a larger pool of small businesses that never want to graduate to avoid the "Death Valley" and therefore preventing the next generation of small businesses from launching/thriving, and diverting the customers to choose different vehicles to access enterprise capabilities. The SBA has other reasons to propose the rules, but the impacts above are spot on. There are more small businesses that will be happy with the new rules but soon they will be impacted severely. These impact everyone from newly launched business to matured small business. eSimplicity is a young firm with our 8(a)-graduate schedule in 2029 (!), and our backlogs will be severely impacted if the proposed rules are final. Encouraging small businesses to review and respond. #SBA #DoBetter #GoBacktoTheBasics #SmallBusinessMission #ResponsibleInnovation #Administration #WhiteHouse #Congress #DoNotPunishValueCreators #DoNotPunishSmallBusiness

Breaking into Multiple Award Contracts for Small Businesses is a rough puff. It's a confusing and lengthy process, and usually, there is a lot of paperwork flying around. Not to mention SBs typically only have a team of 1-5 people to figure it all out AND be compliant. OMB wants to give the little guys a break and suggests an increase of set-aside consideration from SBA in collaboration with the agency, the use of better on-ramps, and the limitation of off-ramps from MACS (pending acquisition). Encouraging, but I'll wait for the future updates in regulation in the FAR to give my celebratory handclap. Any SB owners have those horror (or success 😀 ) stories trying to on-ramp to their MAC?? #govcon #governmentcontracting #smallbusiness #governmentcontracts #sba #smallbusinesstips

Attention Small Business Owners! 🌟 Learn how the SBA can be your sidekick in Government Small Business Contracts. Our latest blog delves into the important role played by the Small Business Administration. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eqempEbC

"A common issue this Committee has observed is the boxing out of small businesses from the federal procurement space. Since 2010, the number of small businesses winning federal contracts has decreased by 50 percent, which is unacceptable and an issue we want to correct." It's good to see the House Committee on Small Business acknowledge that the "A" grades the government receives for its small business contracting every year don't tell the whole story. The sharp decline in the number of small businesses involved in federal contracting is alarming. #govcon #governmentcontracting #federalcontracting https://lnkd.in/g4CcyjNc

Bravo SBA! And Congratulations WOSBs/EDWOSBs! Welcome to the club! Many of us understand the road you just traveled and how awesome it feels to be at the end. But it's only the beginning... I know everyone is excited and hopeful with their new certification in hand but I'm known to keep it real...so here it is. If you haven't heard, we WOSBs have our work cut out for us. The WOSB prime contract goal of 5% has only been met TWICE in the WOSB Program's history. Yes, that's right -- two times EVER. Will the Government meet its WOSB goals in FY2024? It remains to be seen. It can be an uphill climb in the Federal marketplace for WOSBs and EDWOSBs. Set-asides under the WOSB Program are not plentiful and sole source contracts are a unicorn. This space requires PERSERVERENCE and ACTION! Do not wait to-- ▶ MARKET your business and network within the Government space HARD! Be respectfully persistent. Not sure who you should talk to? Read the articles at https://lnkd.in/g6ndf6-U and https://lnkd.in/gntAB8dh to know who to talk to and what to talk about when you get those opportunities. ▶ Get your Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) profile completed so it shines and links to your website and tells the story of your capabilities (get a free guide on how to do this at https://lnkd.in/gZDEscf2). ▶ Pre-position your business so it can quickly and thoroughly respond to Requests for Information (RFIs) to influence acquisition strategies toward WOSB and EDWOSB set-asides before it's too late. Create a Project Library and look at RFIs to create a template for responses most often requested...And do the same for RFPs! (Don't know what an RFI or RFP is? Check out the article at https://lnkd.in/gRieRrag.) ▶ Create prime, subcontract, and micro-purchase strategies. Micro-purchases and subcontracts help you build valuable experience and past performance to leverage into prime opportunities, particularly if you are thin on commercial sector experience also. Check out two free videos on these topics at youtu.be/-GqLL6SkElI and youtu.be/UpTkj8BFUwo. ▶ Empower yourself! Understand how to research the Federal marketplace and use the Government tools to read and predict opportunities. Check out two free videos about how to do that at youtu.be/q7qW94RNhM4 and youtu.be/5OlYDDWT5Oo. ▶ Network with other WOSBs and talk about your experiences and help each other out. There are several great WOSB leaders and small business advocates out here on LinkedIn that are willing to share their knowledge, experiences, and listen. Lastly, I hope you check out my free website, fedsubk.com, and use it as a go-to resource as you put those shiny new certifications to use! I have links to SBA and other free resources, articles, a curated list of SBA events, and more. I can't wait to see what you all accomplish! Again, congratulations!

This is an essential webinar series. If you want to become a Woman-Owned Small Business, like one of my Clients, or one of the other certifications, I encourage you to sign up!

Helping small business owners achieve success is just one of the highlights of the 2024 NABJ Convention. https://lnkd.in/gq8BEUjQ

Current SBA size standards currently pose a risk to many small businesses operating in the federal space. These small businesses will find themselves at a crossroads and only have 3 options: sell off part of their business, find a small business to team with, or graduate from set-aside status. Bigger small businesses that are about to graduate from the set-aside world need time to recruit talented employees, develop their intellectual property and build infrastructure to compete at the next level. Small businesses face enormous infrastructure hurdles especially if they grow very quickly or win larger federal contracts with big task orders. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ecQgRCfE

My new blog post on when the size of your business is determined for SBA program purposes: https://lnkd.in/eaEutg8m