On this rainy Wednesday, I find that there are more than a few choices for blog topics today. As such, I’m not limiting myself to just one. Here are my top three news items for the week of November 15, 2015:
Are You Missing Out on the NVSBE?
The National Veterans Small Business Engagement is in full swing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (November 17-19). This is the annual conference put on by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) for veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs). Alas, it is too late for you to attend this year, but put this on your radar for next year. With thousands of attendees and the presence of hundreds of procurement officials, it’s a great place to network for prospective teaming partners and federal opportunities. Also, it offers dozens of learning sessions on a variety of topics, so you can take your pick based on what interests/affects you. (Last year, I presented on teaming opportunities for VOSBs). As a reader, if you’re attending the conference and have something to say about it (whether about your experience this year, or in years past), please leave a comment!
The CVE’s Attempt at Process Improvement
The VA’s Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) has effected major changes in how it processes VetBiz applications. (This is the verification process for a VOSB to be included in the VA’s VetBiz registry and be eligible for VA set-asides). Basically, when the CVE assesses eligibility for the program, they ask for a lot of documents relating to the business (corporate documents, tax documents, resumes, etc). Now, the CVE is asking for certain documents initially, and once the business gets through that hoop, it asks for the rest. The idea, I understand, is to stop some businesses from wasting everyone’s time. Also, it gives businesses the chance to fix their corporate documents at the beginning of the process in the event an issue that needs fixing. I’m not a huge fan of these changes, which the CVE is labeling a “pre-qualification,” as it makes the process more piece mail (and piece-mail unnecessarily complicates a process). Also, if a business has a problem with its operating agreement or bylaws, this would be flagged at the end of the process, anyway. We’ll see if this change sticks.
Chris Kyle Estate v Jesse Ventura: Will We See a Second Round?
The estate of Chris Kyle, veteran and author of the acclaimed American Sniper, has appealed to a federal court, asking it to overturn the $1.8 million jury verdict for defamation and unjust enrichment found in favor of the colorful Jesse Ventura. This case stemmed from a chapter in American Sniper which described unsavory actions/comments by Ventura which he alleged (and proved) never took place. Part of the grounds for appeal is that Ventura’s lawyer had informed the jury that Kyle’s book publisher’s insurance company, not his widow, would be forced to pay a verdict. (Presumably, this made them less shy about granting such huge damages). The appeal was filed on October 20, and there is yet to be a ruling. This case is an interesting one (from a legal standpoint in particular, as Ventura recovered on legal grounds that are very hard to win on – unjust enrichment), so I’ll be covering this if the appeal is granted.
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