GAO Establishes Stimulus Fraud Hotline
Be careful how you spend the stimulus dollars because the public may be watching. At least that is the theory behind “FraudNet” the new stimulus fraud hotline developed by the General Accountability Office, (GAO). GAO is urging citizens, to include contractors and federal employees, to use the FraudNet system to report suspected fraud, waste, or abuse related to the stimulus spending.
FraudNet allows the public to report potential cases of fraud,waste, or abuse (1) by telephone at 1-800-424-5454, (2) by email at fraudnet@gao.gov, (3) by fax (202) 512-3086 or (4) by mail to;
GAO FraudNet
441 G Street, N.W., M/S 4T21
Washington, DC 20548.
The FraudNet website can be found at the following link, FraudNet
Six Months in Federal Contracts For All Socio Economic Categories
As we approach the mid-way point of the fiscal year, some indicators throw light on where the brisk activity may be headed across all socio economic indicators. It is too early to tell what the year end numbers will look like given that they will almost certainly be skewed from the unleashing of stimulus money, but the numbers speak for themselves.
The reports posted below are for select socio economic categories aggregated by State, and sorted in descending order for FY 2009. The usual suspects namely; Maryland, DC, Virginia, Texas and California not surprisingly are at the top of most rankings. All reports include percentage comparison columns for each year:
Federal Contract Actions By State for Small Business
Federal Contract Actions by State for Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses
Federal Contract Actions By State for Veteran Owned Businesses
Federal Contract Actions By State for Small Disadvantage Businesses
Federal Contract Actions By State for Women Owned Businesses
Federal Contract Actions By State for HUBZONE Businesses
Federal Contract Actions By State for Native American Owned Firms
Federal Contract Actions By State for SBA 8A Certified Firms
For various other reports go to FEDMINE.US, or email special requests to Ashok Mehan.
Stimulus Funds Impose New Requirements on Contractors
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will be a boon for Government contractors. The Act appropriates $789 billion, much of which will be awarded to contractors. However, there are some strings attached. The Act includes a variety of requirements designed to increase the transparency, effectiveness, and fairness of the contracting related to the stimulus funds. These requirements, summarized below, are in addition to the normal procurement regulations. Even experienced government contractors should carefully review the terms and conditions of any solicitation that is funded with Stimulus dollars because what was acceptable before may not be now.
Information Collection- Contractors who receive stimulus funds will be required to submit quarterly reports describing the (1) total amount of recovery funds received, (2) total amount of recovery funds actually spent on the contract, (3) lists of projects funded by the recovery funds and number of jobs created, (4) information on any subcontracts awarded.
Fraud, Waste & Abuse- The Act establishes a Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board to oversee the stimulus spending with the objective of preventing fraud, waste and abuse. The Board has not yet implemented any requirements affecting contractors, but most experts expect to see reporting requirements at a minimum. Many believe that once the risk mitigation plans required by the Act are completed, the Board will impose more substantive requirements.
Contract Types – The Act requires the use of Fixed Price contract awarded using competitive procedures to the maximum extent practical. Contracts that are not fixed price or not competitively awarded must be listed on the Recovery.gov website. Also, presolicitation notices are now required for task or delivery orders. The Act also expands the Buy America Act requirements, requires prime contractors to report first tier subcontracts, and increases the Government’s access to contractor records.
National Contract Management Association (NCMA) World Congress 2009 – 50th Anniversary
Don’t miss out on NCMA’s 50th Anniversary World Congress annual conference being held in Long Beach, California on April 6 -8, 2009.
Highlights of the conference include: 70+ educational sessions, Contract management career fair, 80+ exhibitors, networking and social events. You will also have a chance to meet some of the key people that are influencing major changes in the contracting arena, such as: Deidre Lee, Thomas Davis, Carly Fiorina and Gen. Lester Lyles.
Here are some helpful links that will get you started:
Registration
Conference Location
Conference Lodging
Tracks and Sessions
Detailed Sessions Schedule:
Monday April, 6th
Tuesday April, 7th
Wednesday April, 8th
Have a great time at the conference!
Is your company pursuing stimulus-related contract opportunities?
Last Thursday we shared that FedBizOpps (FBO) added a special “Recovery” link to its home page that will take interested vendors directly to opportunities related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). As of today 398 stimulus projects are listed.
Is your company actively tracking and pursuing stimulus-related contract opportunities? Respond to our new poll question below Continue reading »
Now’s the Time to Come Clean – Tax Amnesty for DC, SC, MA & NJ
As state coffers continue to dwindle, more and more states are trying to collect outstanding tax dollars any way they can. As a result, the numbers of states jumping on the amnesty bandwagon continues to grow. Now is the time to look at your un-reported or under-reported tax liabilities in these jurisdictions to see if you can take advantage of these programs.
You can link to more detailed information about these programs here.
For more information, contact Aronson tax experts:
Henry F. Chiwaya, Senior Tax Manager, (301) 222-8215, hchiwaya@aronsoncompany.com
Federal Strategic Business Development, A Refresher
Sometimes we all need reminders to get back on track with business development efforts, even when we think we know everything about what we should be doing. The federal buying cycle can be long and full of false starts, which could easily lead to discouragement or even apathy. Buying season will be here sooner than you know it, so for the federally focused, I have listed a few proven ways that can put you back on track to success if you are marketing to the government, particularly if you are a small businesses:
FEDBIZOPPS Adds Stimulus Opportunity Section
FEDBIZOPPS (FBO) has added a special link to its home page that will take interested vendors directly to opportunities related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Additionally, FBO now includes a special “Recovery” icon on these opportunities for easy identification. We highly recommending bookmarking this page so that you can keep up to date with the slew of opportunities that are being issued on nearly an hourly basis. Since February 24th, 301 stimulus projects have made their way to FBO and 131 of those were added THIS WEEK. Many of these projects are extremely time-sensitive, so keep your eyes open and don’t miss your big chance!
DOD Continues Suspension of SDB Price Evaluation Adjustment
Federal law allows DOD to grant Small Disadvantaged Businesses a 10% price evaluation adjustment or preference in order to help DOD meet its small business contracting goals. The law allows DOD to suspend the price evaluation adjustment if DOD met its SDB goal during the preceding year. The price evaluation adjustment was initially suspended in March 2007 because DOD had met it goal of awarding 5% of procurement dollars to SDBs. DOD announced it was extending the suspension but acknowledged that the recent Rothe decision which ruled the practice unconstitutional, may make it a moot point. The Rothe decision is currently being appealed. Further, as the DOD price evaluation preference is rarely if ever used, the SBA has stopped certifying SDBs.
For more information on the Rothe decision and the DOD SDB preference program please see our previous blog posting here. For our previous blog about the SBA and the SDB certification process please click here.
Stimulus Reporting Requirements Spawn Online Universe
The massive economic stimulus package has spawned its own online universe as agencies strive to track and report their stimulus spending. Beyond the White House’s Recovery.gov, many state and federal websites now have their own recovery web pages to explain how they are spending funds allocated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). These websites, linked to Recovery.gov, allow the public visibility into federal and state spending of the $787 billion under the economic stimulus law.
Right now, Recovery.gov provides links to 35 state websites and 25 federal agency websites monitoring their share of spending under the law. As of Feb. 17, governors had 45 days to claim the funds allocated to their state by certifying that they will spend the money appropriately on projects for jobs and economic growth. Currently, 26 states have posted their certifications on Recovery.gov. More states and agencies are expected to participate soon as this universe continues to expand.
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- A Marriage of Inconvenience: GSA Schedule Contracts & The Contractor Code of Business Ethics & Conduct Clause
- Emerging Small Businesses: To Grow Your Business, You Must Plan For Growth
- Government Contracting: Look Before You Leap!
- GSA Schedules – Strategies for Success
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- Pay on Display – Understanding the Executive Compensation and Subcontractor Data Reporting Requirements & Ramifications
- The GSA Schedule: Your Ticket to the Federal Market (May 2010)
- The New FAR Codes of Conduct and Compliance Program Provisions
- The Seven Deadly Sins (of contract compliance)