A New Rule by Far Council Aligns with SBA Regulations

It’s been more than a year since the SBA issued a final rule overhauling the limitations on subcontracting for small business contracts. The SBA’s rule, now codified at 13 C.F.R. 125.6, changes the formulas for calculating compliance with the limitations on subcontracting, and allows small businesses to take credit for work performed by similarly situated subcontractors.

But the FAR’s corresponding clauses have yet to be changed, and this has led to a lot of confusion about which rule applies–especially since many contracting officers abide by the legally-dubious proposition that “if it ain’t in the FAR, it doesn’t count.” Now, finally, there is some good news: the FAR Council is moving forward with a proposed rule to align the FAR with the SBA’s regulations.

By way of quick background, way back in January 2013, former President Obama signed the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act into law. The 2013 NDAA made major changes to the limitations on subcontracting. The law changed the way that compliance with the limitations on subcontracting is calculated for service and supply contracts–from formulas based on “cost of personnel” and “cost of manufacturing,” to formulas based on the amount paid by the government. And, importantly, the 2013 NDAA allowed small primes to claim performance credit for “similarly situated entities.” READ MORE….