In a last-minute effort to cut red tape at the approach of the end of the Government fiscal year, on September 10th the Center for Veterans Enterprises (CVE) issued a memorandum providing that failure to be listed in the VetBiz Vendor Information Pages is not necessarily a kiss of death as it relates to receiving a contract award.
This memorandum follows a previous memorandum issued on June 1, 2012, which issued a class deviation to Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) section 819.7003 . This deviation allowed previously verified SDVOSB/VOSB firms undergoing the re-verification process to compete for an award and have their re-verification “Fast-Tracked.” An official award could not be made, however, until re-verification was complete.
The September 10, 2012 memorandum clarifies the provisions of the prior memorandum and provides that firms that are undergoing requests for reconsideration are also eligible for Fast Track. According to the memorandum, firms that have requested reconsideration of an initial denial remain part of the verification renewal process.
In English, not legalese, these memorandums say that SDVOSBs and VOSBs in limbo with re-verification of status are still eligible for set-aside and sole source awards if: 1) they are currently undergoing re-verification; or 2) they have filed a request for reconsideration.
As it relates to the former, only firms that had previously been verified through the program are eligible. At the time of making an offer, they must have been included in the VetBiz Vendor Information Pages.
As it relates to the latter, to be eligible, the following criteria must apply:
- The contractor was verified on VetBiz when it submitted its initial proposal or offer;
- The contractor subsequently received a CVE denial during the re-verification process;
- The contractor has filed a request for reconsideration on the denial; and
- The contractor is likely to receive contract award.
The fast track approval procedure on reconsideration requests expires October 1, 2012, at the commencement of the next Government fiscal year. For a copy of the memorandum, visit: http://www.sdvosblaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/R4Rfast%20track.pdf.
