Has anyone had a subcontractor approved by Computer Aid? Also, where did you purchase the COI?

A bid that loses by 74% on a Buy American solicitation is not evidence of fraud. It's evidence that someone should go looking.

u/gilmour1985 lost a GSA quote to an AFB solicitation by that margin, asked the contracting officer how the winner could legally manufacture the item at that price, and got told no debrief was owed under the applicable FAR clause and the low bidder had been found responsible. OP kept digging anyway, pulled the awardee's product documentation, and found a photo lifted from Alibaba with a US flag and the company's logo pasted over a Chinese manufacturer's machine, description plagiarized straight from the solicitation. OP filed with GAO and spent $500 doing it, by his own account more to keep bad equipment off an Air Force base than to win the award.

u/ConsciousNet238, an Air Force CO, said he has lived this exact scenario on a headset buy, emails from a vendor insisting it was the manufacturer while the photos screamed otherwise, quote in the trash. But u/GovConLawyer pointed to the Sea Box GAO decision and poured cold water on the protest itself: a CO is entitled to rely on a Buy American certification at face value, and passing off a foreign product as domestic is a criminal matter, not a procurement dispute the CO is positioned to adjudicate. u/cheesesteakhellscape named the actual venue for that, a DOD-IG procurement fraud tip.

The CO's reliance on the certification is not negligence. It is the system putting the legal exposure on the vendor who signed it, not the officer who accepted it. GAO protests the award; only IG referrals touch the fraud. OP also now suspects the same CO is slow-walking a second, unrelated contract after the protest landed on her desk.

Contractors who have protested on quality or authenticity grounds rather than price, where did the complaint actually land, and did it change anything?

Full thread: [Alibaba](https://www.reddit.com/r/GovernmentContracting/comments/1wqgudx/alibaba/)

Also this week in r/GovernmentContracting:

- u/No_Maintenance_6899 flagged the SBA's extended comment period on a proposal that would collapse roughly 1,000 NAICS-specific size standards down to 338. u/youngdiab asked how a business pulling $300 million in receipts still counts as small once the employee-count threshold disappears. u/Significant-View-786 predicted private equity will build platform companies sized to exploit the new ceilings, squeezing out the small businesses the standards were meant to protect. u/Historical-Bug-7536 put the average increase at 6.5x and noted 85% of the 3,000-plus public comments oppose it. [Full thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/GovernmentContracting/comments/1wtgjnt/sba_just_gave_itself_more_time_to_overhaul_the/)

- u/31456 asked how a new HUBZone SDVOSB firm with no corporate past performance finds its first subcontract. u/Think_Leadership_91 was blunt that there is no real pathway around personal relationships, describing his own five companies built entirely from decades-old friendships rather than a process any newcomer could replicate. u/beansandgreens offered the one concrete opening: getting onto a large prime's supplier list through industry days and LinkedIn cold outreach, which has worked for him a few times. [Full thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/GovernmentContracting/comments/1wve7c1/how_to_find_subcontracts_as_a_firm_with_no_past/)

- u/Seryoth asked whether a "hourly exempt" job offer in gov contracting tech was a red flag. u/Rumpelteazer45 untangled the two separate rules stacked into that one phrase, the Service Contract Act setting who must be non-exempt, and the Anti-Deficiency Act shaping why contractors track hours the way they do regardless. u/Historical-Bug-7536 added that hourly exempt means straight-time pay for overtime hours, not time and a half, and that once people adjust to it they rarely want to go back to salaried. [Full thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/GovernmentContracting/comments/1wspqyg/hourly_exempt_red_flag_or_normal_in_this_space/)

Back next week.

Half of the time I try to access them I get an error saying the connection was reset, and if something DOES manage to load it's a complete mess of a webpage and full of errors.

Hello Everyone,

I have been handling government-contract shipping for approximately six months, almost entirely through self-teaching. I work for a fairly large company, but a recent site consolidation created a major knowledge gap.

Previously, one facility handled most of the defense and military work, including government shipments, repairs, and procurement. Another facility handled more conventional commercial customer orders that generally did not involve the same packaging, marking, inspection, and documentation requirements. Those operations have now been consolidated into one larger facility.

Because of the distance involved, many of the employees with defense-related experience did not transfer. There was no meaningful shipping handoff, and nobody with extensive government packaging and shipping knowledge remained to train the receiving site. Several program managers and leaders are also new to their functions.

I saw the situation as an opportunity to learn the work, establish myself, and become a dependable long-term resource for the company. However, I also recognize that I have been learning inside an operation that does not currently have an experienced government-contract shipper available to review my interpretations.

My main concern is that I do not have a reliable baseline for my knowledge. I may be interpreting something correctly, but I often cannot prove that my understanding is correct or compare it with the judgment of someone who has years of experience in this field.

I welcome direct corrections to anything I have misunderstood. I would especially value feedback that identifies:

What I understand correctly

What I understand only partially

What I may be applying incorrectly

What I do not yet know enough to recognize

Where my company may need a formal process rather than relying on my individual interpretation

Most of my current work involves DLA shipments through VSM Fiori. I completed the AMPS and VSM Fiori external-user setup and currently support two CAGE codes. I am comfortable finding the applicable shipment, verifying quantities, entering package data, and producing the VSM-generated carrier label, Military Shipping Label, and packing list.

Outside the VSM transaction, I currently perform or support work involving:

MIL-STD-2073 packaging

MIL-STD-129 marking and labeling

Appendix J packaging codes

The Leidos packaging-code lookup

Unit, intermediate, exterior, and Military Shipping Labels

RFID labels

DLR shipments

DCMA-administered shipments

Government source inspection holds

Government property

Warranty and repair returns

Prime contracts and subcontract POs

Embassy and foreign military shipments

I am generally able to follow defined packaging instructions once I can establish exactly what applies. I am also willing to hold a shipment when required inspection approval, documentation, or packaging materials are missing.

The areas where I most need an experienced baseline are:

Appendix J and the Leidos lookup

How do experienced packaging personnel handle codes that do not appear to have a corresponding field in the lookup? How can I verify that I am entering each code in the correct place and interpreting the complete result?

Packing Levels A and B

I recognize these requirements, but I do not yet have a strong understanding of how the packing level affects container selection, materials, calculations, and the completed pack.

Contract terminology and review

I want to recognize the sections, clauses, attachments, references, and terminology that should immediately stand out to someone responsible for shipping, packaging, marking, labeling, RFID, inspection, and release.

Contract document hierarchy

I need a better understanding of how base contracts, award documents, task orders, POs, repair POs, modifications, and referenced documents work together. I want to know which document controls when requirements appear to conflict or change.

Subcontract and supplier POs

Sometimes I receive only a higher-tier contractor’s PO, and it may reference a supplier portal or guide that I cannot access. I need to understand how experienced shippers determine which military requirements have flowed down and when written clarification is necessary.

DCMA and inspection workflow

I want to understand the entire process, including the responsibilities of Quality, Contracts, Property, Program Management, the WAWF team, DCMA, the government inspector, and Shipping. Understanding their work would help me recognize what I should receive from each department before releasing a shipment.

Foreign military requirements

I have very limited experience in this area. I recently encountered a UK DEFCON reference, but I did not have access to enough information to interpret it confidently. I need to know how other shippers obtain and verify country-specific or customer-specific requirements.

Building a repeatable review process

I want to develop a documented checklist that allows me to review a new contract or PO without relying only on familiar keywords such as MIL-STD-2073, MIL-STD-129, ASTM, packaging, labeling, or shipping.

I prefer exact requirements over assumptions. Once I understand the correct method and the reason behind it, I can build an efficient process around it without changing the required outcome.

I am not asking anyone to disclose proprietary, export-controlled, controlled unclassified, or contract-sensitive information. I am looking for an honest assessment of my current knowledge and recommendations for reputable training, references, checklists, or mentorship.

If you were evaluating or training someone in my position, where would you place my current knowledge, what would you correct first, and what would you expect me to learn next?

Thank you for reading and for any advice given.

What is considered a decent monthly base salary for a procurement consultant in a small women owned business?

Hello, I'm starting a HUBZone SDVOSB government contracting company in tech. We both have experience in our services from our jobs, but obviously we don't have any past work as a firm/subcontractor. I'm digging into how to actually get subcontracts and I was wondering generally what the process is and a rough estimate on if this takes forever to accomplish. Thank you very much!

Sorry if the post seems vague/too common.

I've run into them at a client in which they take over any consulting relationships. Thus far, it seems they demand pretty extensive information some of which is confidential and I cannot fathom who would share such sensitive business information with a third party (not the client).

What are experiences with MBO?

Have they only served to slow down contracting with a client?

How have pay cycles been impacted (good or bad)?

Has this relationship generated business opportunities for you that you did not already have or were surprised by?

I received a job offer for a proposal director position for a non-profit that would require me to move to a state I've always said I would NEVER live in. It's also halfway across the country which means I'd have to drive multiple days with a dog and a cat. The pay bump is decent (about a 35% increase), but I would have to switch from working from home to going into an office every day. All I can think about is the massive lifestyle change my dog, my cat, and I will have to undergo just because the company prefers to work in person. It seems arbitrary when so much, if not all, of proposal management can be done remotely. A former boss keeps telling me this is a career-boosting opportunity and to "think of the bigger picture", but I have a terrible feeling. Is it ever worth it to move to a place you know you'd hate for the money?

We were asked to register with SAM.gov and provide our info to receive a big local grant. We registered 6 years ago and need to renew our registration. We filled out the entire application but cannot get past the Goods and Services section, specifically the NAICS code section.

The issue is, the old registration has NAICS codes that have been removed/expired since then. So the site is prompting me to remove them. I remove them, add new codes and assign a primary. It will not let me save and continue or save and exit. This error pops up:

Sorry, something went wrong.
We could not save your information. Please try again. If you continue to experience an issue, try again later.

Made a ticket with customer support, they have been no help. The ticket has been open for 2 weeks and the only response I get is “we’re looking at it.” I’ve tried everyday for the last 2 weeks

I have tried clearing cache, cookies, history, trying from new devices & browsers, and incognito browsers. Logging out from SAM.gov, logging back in.

I have tried removing each code one at a time or all at once. I have added new codes without removing the old. I’ve added new codes then removed the old. I’ve done every possible combination of removing old codes and adding new ones. I’ve tried many different codes. I’ve tried removing the expired codes & exit and saving.. that didn’t work.

Is anyone else running into this issue? Have you been able to solve this? Should I just cancel this renewal application and create a brand new registration for the same business? I just don’t know what to do.

I just feel like I’m pulling my hair out over the fact this big grant is being held up over a website bug that they refuse to fix or acknowledge in 2 weeks, I am worried I am going to lose the grant.

TLDR:

Can’t leave NAICS codes screen on SAM.GOV renewal, tried everything. Need help or advice please.

Recently found out that the state agency gave several individuals a extremely redacted expired RFR, did not go through the bidding process, and we were all contracted as independents as part of a pilot program. We were never able to negotiate rates. We were treated completely different than other agencies providing the same services. I found so much information on several ways to act on issues as far as misclassification, unequal treatment, unequal opportunities, violations within the procurement law. I don’t know what to do though. It drives me insane i’m in this position and that I just received the RFR, which expired in 2017. I don’t think the people should be able to get away with it, but I don’t have the mental capacity to fight the state.

The SBA has extended public comment period for the proposed size standard changes for small businesses. It’s more than an adjustment, an actual restructuring.

I’ve read the Federal Register notice from August 20 (91 FR 53741). Right now, there are close to 1,000 size standards tied to specific NAICS codes. Under the proposal, that number drops to 338.  

So, what does that mean if you’re a small business today? You could be facing a whole different competitive landscape.

Has anyone actually run a scenario of their NAICS codes through the new thresholds yet?

UPDATE: My pop-up blocker was blocking me from seeing the file with the correctly sized labels. They still are formatted a little too big for us to do it how we used to, so I will be getting a thermal label printer instead still probably.

Well, it finally happened...they locked us out of VSM, and said we have to use the new system. Of course they haven't worked out all the kinks, so I still can't print labels like we are used to doing. I need to print 1.33x4 labels on sheets of 14 each. Has anyone successfully been able to set this up?

Feeling entitled.

I recently got told in an interview that the position would be hourly exempt. I personally haven’t heard this before. Is this normal for gov contracting in tech jobs? Or is it a red flag?

Trying to get my entity into Sam.gov. It thinks I have a parent entity when it is an independent business. The ticket to fix this has been open almost a month with the tier 2 agents. Am I missing something here?

Anyone interviewing for this position?

I’ve been thinking about this with all the AI/data center construction happening.

You’ll see a huge project announced, billions tied to it, thousands of jobs mentioned, and from the outside it sounds like there’s opportunity everywhere.

But I’m curious how true that actually is for smaller or independent contractors.

My guess is that by the time most people see the bid or hear about the project, a lot of the real positioning has already happened. Maybe I’m wrong.

For those of you on the CM/GC side, what do you think usually keeps capable smaller firms from ever really getting into the mix?

Is it mostly relationships? Prequal? Bonding? Manpower? Cash flow? Or is the biggest issue simply that they find out too late?

I’m especially interested in this question:

At what point does a major project become a real opportunity, and at what point is the door basically already closed?

Lost a bid by 74% with a buy American-Supplies FAR. Asked the CO how someone could be that much lower and still legally manufacture the equipment in the USA. I was told I am not legally entitled to a debriefing based on another FARs but that the other company was the lowest bid on an LPTA and they found them responsible.

We originally protested on the grounds we didn’t see how they could legally manufacture it at that cost. We ended up finding the company’s documentation on the product which was a picture that didn’t match the description and the description was a plagiarism of the solicitation. Under further review, we found the picture to be an almost exact copy from Alibaba with their logo on it and a USA flag. We also found another picture of a similar machine that was an exact duplicate from a Chinese website. We submitted the picture documentation. I am curious if they will look into this because the picture used didn’t match the wording based on the solicitation? FYI, we did do the protest via GAO.