Tom Pettit Breaks Down Proposed SBA Size Standards for Law360

Tom Pettit, a senior associate in the Government Contracts & National Security practice, was quoted in the recent Law360 article, “Proposed Small-Biz Standards Could Hurt Smaller Cos.,” which examined how the U.S. Small Business Administration’s newly proposed size standards could reshape competition among federal contractors.

Tom explained that the proposed standards would expand the number of contracts reserved for small businesses under the “rule of two,” which requires agencies to set aside procurements whenever at least two small companies are expected to submit competitive offers. “Within those procurements, there’s going to be a lot more competition, which is probably a net positive from the government's perspective, but for existing small businesses, that would potentially be viewed as a negative,” he said.

Tom also touched on several other potential effects of the proposed rule, including increased M&A transactions in the government contracting marketplace, the impact on the SBA’s mentor-protégé program, and legal challenges under the Small Business Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Read the full article (subscription required).