In this webinar, Jennifer Schaus & Associates hosts Ed DeLisle as a subject matter expert on the SDVO - VOSB - CVE (Veteran Owned Certification) in Government Contracting.
Are you a veteran transitioning from active service and want to become an entrepreneur? Or perhaps you’ve been out of the service for some time and want to start a new small business or expand an existing one?
At the end of May, the SBA launched a new program with the call to arms above, known as the SBA Veteran Pledge Initiative. The pledge itself has been made by top national regional and community lenders to collectively increase their lending activity to veterans by five percent per year for the next five years
The SBA's veteran-based programs are intended to provide tools to help veterans start businesses, facilitate the local economy where they will operate in addition to creating jobs for veterans and their communities.
Those interested in the program are encouraged to call one of SBA's 68 local district offices, or one of its 15 Veterans Business Outreach Centers nationwide.
Related articles
Press Release from the VA:
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) published an advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) today in the Federal Register to solicit feedback on its regulations governing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) Verification Program (38 CFR 74) guidelines for three major purposes:
-
To improve the regulations to provide greater clarity
-
To streamline the program
-
To encourage more VOSBs to apply for verification
More info here.
SmallGovCon recently reported on a finding of the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals that bears recognizing due to the implications for any other SDVOSB that intends to dispute an award:
SBA OHA rejected the protester’s effort to submit new evidence with its appeal. ”[T]his information was not provided” in the protest, SBA OHA wrote, “and it is well-settled that an insufficiently specific protest cannot be cured by submitting more specific information on appeal.” SBA OHA denied the appeal.
The Veterans Contractors Group SBA OHA decision is a good reminder that SDVOSB protests must contain specific evidence or information supporting the allegations. If, as here, the protest vaguely alleges that the awardee does not meet the eligibility requirements, the SBA is likely to dismiss it without an investigation.
The implied takeaway is that if that award protests should come fully prepared to defend their claim at time of protest in order for their claim to be considered.
If you follow us on twitter, you may have seen us link to this excellent toolkit offered by the Department of Veteran Affairs that highlights important information for employers looking to utilize the special skillsets of veterans moving into the civilian sector. For instance, one tool offered is known as the "Military Training Model," which offers concrete steps to create a clear sense of expectations for the role that they'll be moving into. An example:
Identify responsibility for mission objectives. In the military, each Service Member has different responsibilities and works together with other members of his or her unit to complete a mission. Working together this way as a team may best ensure success when each member knows which components are his or her responsibility and which components are the responsibilities of others.
We'd also like to draw your attention to a great post at the NYT highlighting a military spouse and entrepreneur, Amber Turner, whose business assists military spouses to develop portable and flexible careers that acknowledge the frequent moves that military families make.