News
CYBERSECURITY
WHAT THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT'S CYBER CERTIFICATION WILL MEAN FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
The Defense Department’s impending cybersecurity certification requirement for all contractors has caused no shortage of concerns among small businesses worried about the cost. But the Pentagon’s lead for the effort made the case Wednesday that the move is necessary and, in some cases, will help small contractors. Read more.
DOD AIMS TO ISSUE PROPOSED RULE FOR CERTYING CONTRACTORS' CYBERSECURITY IN THE FALL
A sweeping plan to conduct independent third-party cybersecurity audits of prospective Defense Department contractors’ management of sensitive information will be subject to a formal rulemaking process, but the department and the nonprofit organization being established to train and approve certifiers are still moving at a quick clip. Keep reading.
CYBERSECURITY 'HAS TO BE IN YOUR DNA' TO FEND OFF HACKING THREATS
Small- to mid-sized businesses may not face the tens of thousands of daily cyber attacks directed at big corporations or governments, but that doesn’t mean that there aren't hackers happy to take a crack at your computer system to pry out trade secrets or customer or employee data you're trying to protect. Read more.
DOD'S CYBERSECURITY MATURITY MODEL CERTIFICATION: ARE SMALL COMPANIES PREPARED?
The cybersecurity posture of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) supply chain is only as strong as its weakest contractor. When considering the DIB supply chain includes 300,000 contractors with sensitive government data, and around 290,000 of them are not subject to strict cybersecurity requirements or oversight, something needs to change. Keep reading.
BETA.SAM NEWS
NEW FUNCTIONALITY ON THE WAY FOR FEDBIZOPPS REPLACEMENT
The transition from the standalone Federal Business Opportunities—better known as FedBizOpps or FBO—was a rough one for users of the federal contracting website. But program managers at the General Services Administration say they’re working through the problems and plan to launch new capabilities in the near future. Read more.
FEDBIZOPPS IS NOW PART OF BETA.SAM.GOV
As of November 12, FBO has moved to beta.SAM.gov. For more information, please visit the Learning Center and read the Contractor Quick-Start Guide.
FedBizOpps.gov (FBO.gov) will be decommissioned and its critical functionality will be transitioned into beta.SAM.gov in the first quarter of the 2020 fiscal year. This fact sheet contains important information that current FBO.gov users need to know. Read more.
SMALL BUSINESS OPEN HOUSE
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District is very excited to announce the hosting of a Small Business Open House!
The Open House will bring together many of the Omaha District’s key staff and subject matter experts to 1 room, allowing for an exceptional networking experience to help your business grow in federal contracting.
The Open House is being designed to allow for new (or relatively new) small business contractors to the Omaha District. Learn more and get registered today!
GSA IS ABOUT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE MAS CONSOLIDATION SOLICITATION
The General Services Administration released a set of updates as part of the first refresh of the Multiple Award Schedule consolidation solicitation—the vehicle that will replace the 24 schedules currently in place—to conform to changes in administration policy and clarify some technical details. Learn more.
SBREA FINAL RULE
SBA issues a final rule to modify its method for calculating annual average revenues.
On December 5, 2019, SBA issued a final rule changing its method for calculating the average annual receipts used to prescribe size standards for small businesses.
For all of SBA’s receipts-based size standards, and for other agencies’ proposed receipts-based size standards, SBA will calculate the average annual receipts using a 5-year averaging period (rather than the previous 3-year averaging period). This change is in accordance with the Small Business Runway Extension Act (SBREA) passed in December 2018. Read more from news release or the official Code of Federal Regulations.
ND DOT TRANSFERING TO ONLINE APPLICATION FOR ANNUAL CONTRACTOR PREQUALIFICATION PROCESS
NDDOT has been transitioning to an online application for our annual contractor prequalification process for the past two years with many of our contractors utilizing it. Effective 2020, NDDOT will be requiring that all contractor prequalifications be submitted through our online application. This includes the current prequalification period and the upcoming period starting July 1, 2020. The online application can be found on our website at https://dotnd.diversitycompliance.com. The paper statement will no longer be accepted and will be removed from our website after December 31, 2019. Read more.
CATHY LINDQUIST NAMED CERTIFIED PROCUREMENT PROFESSIONAL
The UND Center for Business Engagement & Development is pleased to announce that Cathy Lindquist of the North Dakota Procurement Technical Assistance Center (ND PTAC), has achieved certification as a Certified Procurement Professional (CPP). Read the full story.