Public Contracting Institute Blog
The Public Contracting Institute blog supplement our govcon training offerings with insightful articles written by leading professionals across the government contracts industry. Our professionals publish articles on topics on government contracts administration, accounting, bids/proposals, disputes, claims, and much more. For more inforamation about our blog, reach out to seminars@publiccontractinginstitute.com.
Additionally, look for the PCI Practical Matters Podcast, coming soon! It will cover the latest news in our industry, along with insightful commentary on the most important topics in Government Contracting.
Cancellation of Bids and the Independent Government Estimate
Readers of this blog are aware that in a procurement using sealed bidding, award must be made to the responsible bidder who submits the lowest responsive bid, unless there is a compelling reason to reject all bids and cancel the Invitation for Bids (“IFB”). Federal...
Military Interdepartmental Purchasing Request (“MIPR”)
A Military Interdepartmental Purchasing Request, or MIPR, is an internal funding document by which one military department or Department of Defense (“DOD”) agency requests another military department or DOD agency to purchase material or services for the requesting...
Agency Failed To Document Corrective Action
Frequently, when an agency procurement has been protested at the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”), the agency can decide to take corrective action, and simply communicate its intention to the GAO, who will then dismiss the protest. In an unusual protest, where...
Contracting Officer’s Email Notice of Intent to Exercise Option Was Adequate
This blog has frequently noted that in order to exercise an option properly to continue services, the Government must meet all contractual and Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) requirements, which generally require that the contracting officer provide (1)...
FedBid Is Government’s Agent in Reverse Auction
The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) has recently confirmed that in a reverse auction conducted on behalf of an agency by FedBid (recently renamed “Unison Marketplace”), Fedbid serves as the government’s agent, and must comply with procedural requirements in...
Affiliation: Common Ownership is Different from Common Management
Under the Size Regulations of the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), when there is affiliation between two or more businesses, the resources of all affiliates are counted in determining if the business is “small” or “not small.” A recent case at the...
Women Must Have Experience and Technical Expertise to Qualify as WOSB
The Office of Hearings and Appeals (“OHA”) of the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) has clearly indicated that a Woman-Owned concern must meet the criteria in the Women-Owned Small Business (“WOSB”) regulations in order to qualify for procurements set...
Agency Cannot Assume Performance Not in Offer
Agencies cannot assign strengths for features not included in an offeror’s proposal, by assuming that these features would be provided based on the offeror’s performance of the incumbent contract. Native Energy & Tech., Inc., B-416783, Dec. 13, 2018....
Competition Alone Does Not Render Every Price Reasonable Per Se
The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) recently considered and sustained a protest where an agency had concluded that just because a number of proposals were received, this was a sufficient guarantee that the awardee’s price was fair and reasonable....
Court Has No Jurisdiction to Consider Blanket Purchase Agreements
McLeod Group, LLC was awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (“BPA”) by the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) for management consulting services. Thereafter, DHS awarded seven task orders to McLeod, pursuant to the BPA. McLeod submitted a certified claim to the...