Event Info Flash

 

Subject: Registration Open – VA National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Grounds Maintenance Virtual Industry Day

Purpose: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration (NCA), in collaboration with the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) will host a virtual industry day on June 10, 2026, from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM ET.

Event Website and Registration Information: https://vetbiz.va.gov/events/event-detail/?id=ab8fe7e8-593e-f111-88b3-001dd8002324

By attending this event, attendees will:

• Learn about upcoming contracting opportunities available to SDVOSBs and VOSBs including those owned and controlled by women Veterans.
• Understand the types of grounds maintenance and related services NCA is planning to procure.
• Gain insight into how NCA plans and approaches its acquisitions.
• Share your feedback on how grounds maintenance services can be delivered to better meet VA’s long-term needs.

About the Program Office

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), National Cemetery Administration (NCA) honors Veterans and their families with final resting places in national shrines and lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our Nation.

If you have questions about the virtual event, please contact the Direct Access Program by e-mail at directaccess@va.gov or by phone at 202-461-4694.

RECOMMENDED READINGS

 

ChatGPT Is Not Your Lawyer (Even If it Sounds Like One), Recent GAO Case Confirms Using artificial intelligence tools to draft a bid protest can be risky, as one protester recently discovered. In this case, instead of hiring a lawyer, the protester apparently used AI to draft its GAO bid protest–but the AI tool invented cases that didn’t exist, miscited cases for incorrect legal principles, and committed other fundamental mistakes. Read the full account of the GAO bid protest involving AI-generated content.DBE Program in Peril: Recent Legal Challenges and What They Mean for Women- and Minority-Owned Contractors Recent legal challenges jeopardize the future of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, a long-standing initiative designed to support minority- and women-owned businesses in federally funded state and local transportation infrastructure projects. Read about the recent legal challenges to the DOT’s DBE program.Ongoing FAR Overhaul: Market Research and the New FAR Part 10 The ongoing Revolutionary FAR Overhaul process (also known as “FAR 2.0”) continues. The RFO team recently released the rewrite of FAR Part 10, which addresses the government’s market research obligations. Review the latest updates to FAR Part 10 and market research requirements.

 

CMMC & FOCI RESOURCES AND NEWS

 

This section highlights items of special interest and importance to the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs (DOD OSBP). Please take a moment to visit the sites listed below for additional information. Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)/Cybersecurity Compliance Resources DOD CMMC Resource Page – Resources to assist government contractors with understanding and complying with CMMC/cybersecurity requirements. Project Spectrum – Project Spectrum is working with APEX Accelerators to assist small businesses in achieving compliance with CMMC/cybersecurity requirements. Foreign Ownership, Control, and Influence (FOCI) Resources FOCI Frequently Asked Questions – FOCI is a status or situation in which a contractor with access to classified information has some foreign investment or association with foreign interest. Learn more about the federal government’s requirements relating to FOCI. https://business.defense.gov/ – The official website of DOD OSBP. It contains additional information, news, events, and other items for those interested in doing business (or currently engaged) with the DOD.

 

 

Defense Contractors Get a Head Start on CMMC Audits Many federal contractors are initiating Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification audits even before the Pentagon’s assessment program fully takes effect, according to a newly published report. Learn how federal contractors are preparing early for CMMC audits.CMMC: Defense Industry Gears Up For Cybersecurity Program Implementation While many defense contractors are moving forward with preparations for the CMMC program’s implementation, some are still taking a “wait and see” approach. Discover how defense contractors are responding to the CMMC rollout.DCSA announces approval of the updated Form 328 (Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interests) The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has announced the updated Standard Form (SF) 328, Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interests, which includes several improvements to increase users’ clarity and understanding of the questions and subsequent requirements.  The updated form features better-scoped questions, comprehensive instructions, definitions, and a Statement of Full Disclosure of Foreign Affiliations used to report foreign employment. View the updates to SF 328 and what they mean for defense contractors.847 Awaiting Takeoff: DCSA Issues Guidance on Expanded Scope of FOCI Assessments The DCSA intends to publish, in the next 12-18 months, a rule that would require bidders and subcontractors participating in DoD contracts valued at over $5 million, subject to certain exceptions, to disclose FOCI details during the bid or proposal stage and update those details when changes to their ownership structure that implicate FOCI concerns occur. Under the rule, which is required by Section 847 of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, the number of defense contractors subject to FOCI requirements could rise from approximately 2,000 to 40,000. Read about the upcoming FOCI disclosure rule and its impact under Section 847.

Rule of Two: OMB Issues Guidance to Increase Small Business Participation on Multiple Award Contracts

On January 25, 2024 the Office of Management and Budget issued guidance on strategies federal agencies should adopt to enable small businesses to participate in multiple-award contracts. This guidance encouraged early engagement and planning for multiple-award contracts to maximize opportunities for small business contract holders; additional consideration of “on-ramps” to allow for businesses to be added during the performance period of the multiple-award contract; and the use of small business set aside orders for competition among small businesses.  Read More: OMB Memo

Read More:White House Fact Sheet

Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI)

Foreign investment can play an important role in maintaining the vitality of the U.S. industrial base. Therefore, it’s the policy of the U.S. Government to allow foreign investment consistent with the national security interest of the United States. A company is considered to be operating under FOCI whenever a foreign interest has the power, direct or indirect, whether or not exercised, and whether or not exercisable, to direct or decide matters affecting the management or operations of that company in a manner which may result in unauthorized access to classified information or may adversely affect the performance of classified contracts.

Listen:  Video One 
Listen:  Video Two

OSBP and DAU brings small business a comprehensive, cost-effective platform of cybersecurity information, resources, tools, and training to assist in achieving and maintaining the intended level of cybersecurity and contractual compliance.

The Project Spectrum Blog: Protecting Small Businesses One Company at a Time is available now on the DAU website and can be retrieved at the following link: https://www.dau.edu/blogs/protecting-small-businesses-one-company-time. The Project Spectrum website is located at this link: https://www.projectspectrum.io/#/

If you are a small business looking to increase sales and profit, reduce dependence on existing markets and stabilize seasonal fluctuations, then you should consider exporting.

Develop your Export Plan & Strategy (all sessions are virtual)

1-hour Pre-Training Session

2-hour Weekly Sessions (4)

1-hour Post-Training Session

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Program provides supplemental grants to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments, and certain types of private non-profits so that communities can quickly respond to, and recover from, major disasters or emergencies.

• FEMA also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation during the recovery process.

For more information on the SD Public Assistance Process, contact your local APEX Accelerator Contracting Specialist (Go To Contact Page, select a county from drop down menu)

South Dakota Department of Transportation Bid Lettings

South Dakota Department of Transportation – (sd.gov)