GAO finds $325M awarded to ineligible firms under SBA program

The Government Accountability Office found numerous cases of fraud while investigating 14 firms that falsely received federal contracts under the pretext of being small and disadvantaged businesses.

Qlarion call ushers in new federal solutions provider

CadenceQuest Inc. is spinning off its CadenceQuest Government Solutions unit into an independent company renamed Qlarion Inc. The new firm will continue to focus on providing business intelligence, data mining and data management solutions.

HUBZone stands above other small-biz programs

A federal judge has ruled that small companies in HUBZones get preference over other small businesses, and so far, efforts to change the applicable law have failed.

Obama increases focus on small-business contracting

The president has created task forces to focus on small-business contracting problems and opportunities for companies owned by service-disabled veterans.

SBA leader vows to crack down on small-business fraud

SBA plans to become more aggressive in suspending and debarring companies from receiving federal contracts, the agency's administrator tells a House committee.

Catapult on call to keep communication going during disasters

Catapult signes a $58.8 million contract with USAID to help the agency with its international disaster relief efforts.

How to succeed in government business by really trying hard

TeleCommunication Systems Inc., founded in 1987 as a small wireless systems provider, could be a role model for how to succeed in government business by really trying.

Acquisition support still a good market for contractor

There's no resolution in sight for the shrinking talent pool of federal employees who have the expertise and knowledge to handle the ever-increasing number of government procurements.

Advocacy group sues government over contract data

A small-business group is concerned the loss of historical contracting data could prevent future investigations.

GSA small-business advocate retires

Mary Parks has been a strong leader in directing GSA to support small businesses in new avenues.

Senators again try for small business parity

Proposal would strip HUBzone businesses of their special standing among small businesses.

Platinum strikes gold with Energy Department award

Platinum Solutions Inc. will provide information technology and engineering support services to the Energy Department under a five-year contract worth $48 million.

Tampa small biz battens down $41M Navy IT contract

Advanced C4 Solutions Inc. will provide the Navy with a variety of IT services under a five-year contract with an estimated value of $41 million.

Federal court gives HUBZone program priority

The Small Business Act makes it mandatory, not optional, to give HUBZone companies a preference over other small businesses, a judge rules.

Former Lockheed VP signs on at Information Innovators

Daniel Matthews, who retired last week as vice president of government relations at Lockheed Martin Corp., has joined Information Innovators Inc. as senior vice president of strategic programs.

SBA proposed rule directs set-aside contracts to women-owned firms

A proposed rule is designed to help agencies award 5 percent of federal contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses.

SBA tries again to help women-owned businesses get contracts

The Small Business Administration today proposed a procurement set-aside rule that would give women business-owners more opportunities in federal contracting.

SBA proposes subtraction rule to contracting goals

Agencies must subtract contract awards from small-business award totals if, even after the award, SBA concludes the firm isn’t eligible to be considered small

Fear and loathing over proposal to give competitive advantage to higher-paying contractors

Commenters roundly denounce an Obama administration proposal to give more weight in contracting decisions to companies that pay better. Read Editor Nick Wakeman's roundup.

Senate bill takes aim at HUBZone fraud

The bill seeks to ensure that only eligible firms participate in the HUBZone program.