Federal Contracting Made Easy's Podcast

We all know that Memorial Day is an American holiday that is observed the last Monday of May.  But do you know why we celebrate this holiday?  Memorial Day's purpose is to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.   It is a very somber day to me as I remember my family members, fellow veterans, and military members who have lost their lives while serving this great country.  Also, I also remember those that served in the military.  Many veterans may have made it back from military conflicts but they did not come back whole.  It is those veterans that need to be kept in our thoughts and prayers as well. I remember growing up in a small town in upstate, New York.  (Yes, New York does have small towns.) Each Memorial Day, our city would honor each former resident that lost their life while serving in the U.S. military. As a youngster, I did not grasp the significance of this day until after I served in military conflicts. History Memorial Day, which was initially known as Decoration Da

Welcome back to our blog.  Our topic today is on the HUBZone Program Examination. Subjects covered include:  When does the Small Business Administration (SBA) conduct examinations?  What documents will SBA check?. By what means, does SBA conduct a program audit? Now, let's talk about who conducts the HUBZone Program Examination. Who Conducts SBA HUBZone Program Examinations? Of course,  SBA Headquarters is responsible for HUBZone Program Examinations.   However, the local SBA District Office may be tasked to visit you. If the local district office is not able to visit, they may ask a resource partner to complete the visit.  Who are SBA Resource Partners?  They are the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), SCORE, and Woman Business Centers (WBC).  Normally, this will only happen if there is a time constraint or your office is greater than 200 miles from the local SBA office.  For more information on these resource partners, see my blog. Each year, SBA determines the number of businesses to review.  Import

Welcome Back folks!!!  Today,  we are going to have a talk about being prepared for government contracting.  I have been getting a lot of calls and emails from businesses that are wanting to become government contractors.  However, these businesses (in most cases),  I believe are not ready to enter into government contracting.  Let's discuss why I feel this way. Preparation Everyone knows that the better prepared you are the better your chances of succeeding.  This is true in life and government contracting.  The first step is preparation is to ensure that you have the resources available.  What resources are we talking about?  Read on to find out. Employee Experienced in Government Contracting To jump start your government contracting business you need to hire an employee.  Not just any employee but one that is experienced in Government contracting. You need to be prepared to cover his or her salary for a minimum of one year. This employee will be worth the weight in gold to you.  How?  They can help you fin

Today, we will be explaining the HUBZone Price Preference adjustment.  Contracting Officers must give qualified HUBZone businesses a ten percent price adjustment on certain contracts. Not sure what the HUBZone program is?  Check out this blog. Now on to the rest of the article.How does a price evaluation preference affect the bid of a HUBZone business in full and open competition?The HUBZone Price Preference adjustment happens on full and open competition.  In other words, it happens on contracts that are open to large and small businesses. The Government must deem the price offered by the HUBZone business to be lower than the price offered by large business. The HUBZone businesses price must be less than 10% higher than the price offered by the large business.  For a best value procurement the Government must apply the 10% preference to the large business before determining best value.  Please note this does not apply to HUBZone business if part of a HUBZone set-aside contract.Basically after the Government

So Nancy?  Who can appeal the decision of a protest?  Well that is a great question.  First,  the protested HUBZone small business, second the protestor company, or lastly the Contracting Officer may file appeals.  Send your appeal to the Director of HUBZone.  By the way, there is a time limit to the appeal process.  Likewise file your appeal within five (5) business days after the date of the protest determination.  You must remember that SBA will not accept any appeals after this time frame.  Now we will discuss how to file the appeal.   Questions:  email: nancy@byerlyenterprises.com

Today, we are continuing our discussion regarding the HUBZone Program.  Our topic is going to concentrate on the HUBZone application.  Now we will not go into how to fill out the application but will go through all the regulations governing the application process.  This way you know what to expect as you are considering this program.Where To Fill Out the Application?One of the changes that SBA has made is to develop a new system for all their certifications.  This new system is a database that is accessed through your web browser. The location is https://www.certify.sba.gov/.What is great about this system is that you only have to upload your documents one time.  So say that you want to be HUBZone certified.  Then later you want to be 8(a) certified.  Well, in the new system your documents are already uploaded so you can use them for all SBA certifications, to include the Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) program.  This saves you time and money.Now if you prefer you can still fill out a paper application and

HUBZone contracts are contracts awarded to a qualified HUBZone SBC, regardless of the place of performance, through any of the following procurement methods: •Sole source awards to qualified HUBZone SBCs; •Set-aside awards, including partial set-asides, based on competition restricted to qualified HUBZone SBCs; •Awards to qualified HUBZone SBCs through full and open competition after a price evaluation preference is applied to an other than small business in favor of qualified HUBZone SBCs; •Awards based on a reserve for HUBZone SBCs in a solicitation for a Multiple Award Contract or •Orders set-aside for HUBZone SBCs against a Multiple Award Contract, which had been awarded in full and open competition.  

Generally a qualified business may enter into a joint venture agreements with one or more other small businesses.  In addition, a business can enter into a Joint Venture with it's approved mentor.  What do I mean by approved mentor?  Well, SBA has to approve your Mentor Protege Agreement (MPA) either through the All Small Mentor Protege Program or the 8(a) Program.  If your MPA has been approved by SBA then you can enter into a joint venture with your mentor.  Unlike the 8(a) BD Joint Venture, a Joint Venture does not required certification. Want more information?  Then listen to the podcast.

Congress created the HUBZone Program in 1997 as a way to rejuvenate low income and high unemployment areas.  By providing small businesses with a Federal contracting program as an incentive to hire employees within this low income zones and reinvest in their local communities.   This program is mandated by all federal government agencies that have at least one contracting officer.  As an added benefit Congress also revised the Subcontracting Program to include HUBZone businesses.  As a result, any government contractor that is required to have a subcontracting plan will have to address how they plan to hire HUBZone small businesses to meet their subcontracting plan requirements. Learn more about this program by listening to the podcast.

Did you know that SBA has a Government Surplus Property Program?  It is one of the lesser known benefits of being an 8(a) participant.  The Surplus Property Program allows 8(a) businesses to obtain excess equipment from the government.  As long as the 8(a) business is eligible and in good standing with SBA they are eligible to receive the Federal Government Property from State Agencies for Surplus Property (SASPs).  Every state has its own State Surplus Property Agency.  The property that you can receive has been donated by Federal agencies that no longer need the item. Eligibility In order to receive the donated equipment an 8(a) business must meet the following conditions: You are an eligible 8(a) firm in good standing. Your business cannot be on the debarred, suspended, or declared ineligible listing Cannot be pending any 8(a) program suspension, termination or early graduation proceedings; and The equipment must be something that would normally be used in your business. If you meet the above eligibility

You have accomplished a lot the last few months.  You have submitted your SBA 8(a) application and now have received your 8(a) certification.  The next step is for you to complete and submit your 8(a) business plan. Before you get started let's find out more information. Why Does SBA Need You To Complete a Business Plan? Your business plan is used by your Business Opportunity Specialist (BOS) to assist you in developing your business while in the 8(a) program.  That business plan is your road map to success.  The more detailed the plan the better.  Your BOS will review the business plan to understand where your business started, where your business is now and where your want to go in the future.  What are your targets, objectives and goals while in the 8(a) program and beyond. When Do I Submit My Business Plan? You will be required to submit your business plan no later than 30 days after your SBA orientation.  Your business will not be eligible for 8(a) contracts until SBA approves this plan.  Therefore, it i

Learn how HUBZone and 8(a) firms can benefit from CEO level training to enhance their capabilities. Sign up for your FREE Bidsync account today! Never have to manually search for opportunities. bidsync.com/ContractsMadeEasy

What is Suspension?  Suspension is when SBA suspends all program support to an 8(a) BD business to include accepting new 8(a) sole source contracts for you. This is done to protect the interests of the Federal Government Learn the rights you have if SBA decides to take suspension action against you.

Today we are going to concentrate our efforts on Early Graduation and Termination from SBA's 8(a) BD Program. All 8(a) businesses need to understand the process that SBA can take to remove you from the program.  Do you know your rights?  Can you stop the process?  What recourse do you have? These are a few of the things that you will learn from our podcast today.   We are excited to announce our sponsor Bidsync.  Are you struggling to find quality public sector bids in a timely manner? Well, you are not alone. Based on customer research BidSync knows that government suppliers like you: Spend on average more than 1 hour a day looking for bids. Review up to 40 different emails per day. Win less than 10% of bids that they respond to. BidSync offers government suppliers a simpler, smarter way to find opportunities to help grow your business.  After aggregating bids from 90,000 government agencies across North America, BidSync’s relevance engine curates and delivers all learns what type of bids you are interested

8(a) BD Program Eligibility Part One 10:03 Nancy Byerly Federal Contracting Made Easy Government, Business 0 8(a) BD Program Eligibility Part One 10:03 Nancy Byerly Federal Contracting Made Easy Government, Business 0 Leaving SBA's 8(a) BD Program Part Two 13:55 Nancy Byerly Federal Contracting Made Easy government, business 

Let’s get into today’s topic.  There are five (5) ways that a certified 8(a) business may leave the 8(a) BD program.  The first way is to complete the nine (9) year program term which SBA refers to as graduation.  The next way to exit the program is by voluntary withdrawal or voluntary early graduation.  The difference between the two is the withdrawal means you have not met your goals and objectives in your business plan.  If you have met your goals and objectives, then it would be called a voluntary early graduation.   Why would you want to Voluntary Withdrawal or Voluntary Early Graduation?  Well, if you feel you have gotten everything that you can from the program then you can just withdrawal from the program.  Also, if you feel the program is not meeting your expectations, which happens a lot then you can elect to Voluntary Withdrawal

Listen as Nancy explains SBA's non-manufacturer Rule.

Listen to Nancy as she walks you through the 8(a) BD application process then provides an overview of what to expect while waiting for SBA to make a final determination.

Ever wondered if you meet the eligibility requirements for the 8(a) Business Development program? Find out now as Nancy walks you through the program eligibility requirements. SBA's 8a program has helped thousands of businesses succeed. Do you need a mentor? The 8a program has it's own Mentor Protege Program. Do you need training? SBA provides CEO level training as part of this program. One of the benefits of the 8a program is that small disadvantaged businesses can obtain sole source contracts. Yes, that is right. Sole Source contracts that do not require you to compete!!! This is one of the best programs that the Small Business Administration (SBA) administers.

In this second part series Nancy will explain the social and economic requirements of the 8(a) program.  She will also go over the ownership requirements.