Held in New Orleans, LA this year, the 2020 National Small Business Conference provided an opportunity for TSC to connect with clients and learn about what’s on horizon in the government contracting world. Erin McKann, TSC’s expert in 8(a) government contracting, accompanied Leslie Williams Crocker, CEO of Togiak Management Services, to the different speaking events and panels.
Conferences surrounding the 8(a) program are important to TSC, since many of our clients are participants in the Small Business Association’s (SBA) 8(a) program. This program is designed to help the federal government achieve its goal of awarding at least five percent of all federal contracting dollars to small disadvantaged businesses each year. To help level the playing field for these businesses, competition for certain contracts is limited to companies that participate in the 8(a) Business Development program. For businesses that qualify, they can compete for set-aside, sole-source contracts, get help from specialists in navigating the process, form joint ventures, and receive business training, counseling, and marketing assistance. TSC works hard to make sure we’re up to date on the latest, so we can keep our clients informed and ready for what’s coming.
There were some really great events at the conference this year. Subjects of panels and breakout sessions included:
An overview of government contracting rules for 8(a)s, including upcoming regulation changes like the Small Business Runway Extension Act
A conversation with the SBA on the National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2020
A review of the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), a program to protect controlled unclassified information (CUI) within the supply chain
Erin found the CMMC session very informative, and urgent, for anyone that plans to do business with the DoD in the future. CMMC will combine various cybersecurity standards and best practices and map these controls and processes across several maturity levels that range from basic to advanced cyber hygiene. Certification requirements are broken down into five levels. Determining the level of compliance needed, and preparing a company’s IT infrastructure, will be critical for those contracting with the government. TSC will continue collecting knowledge and resources and preparing for the switch to CMMC to help guide our clients through this transition.
With another successful conference on the books, and despite the coming challenges in 2020, the future looks bright for 8(a) government contractors.
