[GOVCON ROUNDUP LIVE] Expanding VOSB Opportunities & Navigating the SBA Certification Minefield
July 15, 2026 @ 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Special Guest: Shane McCall (Koprince, McCall, Pottroff LLC)
In Episode 10 of GovCon Roundup Live, Carroll Bernard and Steven Koprince will cover several important developments affecting veteran-owned small businesses in federal contracting.
They’ll begin with a major legislative update: the bipartisan Contract Our Veterans Act of 2026. This proposed bill would establish a government-wide 5% contracting goal for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and give federal Contracting Officers authority to set aside competitions and make sole-source awards for VOSBs outside the VA.
Carroll and Steven will also discuss a critical compliance issue for veteran-owned businesses pursuing VA set-asides: the frequently overlooked limitations on subcontracting certification requirement under VAAR 852.219-75.
The episode will also cover common SBA certification problems that continue to create trouble for contractors, including:
Why SBA’s strict “unconditional control” rules make certification extremely difficult for franchises
Why a veteran must be listed as the company’s highest officer, such as CEO, in the governing documents
What “fatal flaws” can undermine an appeal after a certification denial
Finally, they’ll explore how veterans can use the 8(a) Program strategically as part of a broader government contracting growth plan.
This episode is designed for veteran entrepreneurs, VOSBs, SDVOSBs, and GovCon professionals who want to stay current, avoid costly certification and compliance mistakes, and better position themselves for success in a changing federal contracting environment.
“Ignorance isn’t bliss—it’s expensive.”
GovCon Roundup Live is your survival guide to the wild world of federal contracting, where the acronyms are endless, the rules are ever-changing, and staying competitive means being sharp and adaptable. We break down policy changes, legislative updates, and industry shifts that signal strategic opportunities to pivot, reposition, and stay one step ahead of the chaos.
Whether you’re a small business, a consultant, or someone who accidentally became a government contractor and decided to roll with it, this show helps you stay informed, make smarter decisions, and maybe even enjoy the ride.
Speakers
-
Carroll BernardCARROLL BERNARD, Co-Founder & Managing Member, Waypoint America LLC dba GovologyCarroll Bernard is the Co-Founder and Managing Member of Waypoint America LLC dba Govology. He brings deep government contracting expertise from serving as a government buyer, small business contractor, and procurement advisor. His career includes acquisition roles in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps, the City of Vancouver (WA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs as a warranted Contracting Officer. He later served at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as a Business Development Specialist supporting 8(a) firms, and also as the SBA Portland District’s Veteran Business Development Officer and Primary HUBZone Liaison. After federal service, Carroll helped small businesses compete for government contracts as a Procurement Counselor with the Department of Defense APEX Accelerator program (formerly PTAP). In 2015, he and his team launched Govology’s online training platform, which has trained over 20,000 business professionals through partnerships with nonprofits, government agencies, universities, and corporations.
-
Steven KoprinceFaculty Instructor and Legal Analyst, GovologySteven J. Koprince is a Faculty Instructor and Legal Analyst at Govology. Before joining Govology, Steven founded and served as the Managing Partner of Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, a law firm devoted exclusively to providing comprehensive legal services to federal government contractors.
Steven is the author of The Small-Business Guide to Government Contracts (AMACOM Books, 2012) and co-author of three GovCon Handbooks providing in-depth information on discrete government contracting topics. Steven also founded the blog SmallGovCon (smallgovcon.com), where he has written more than 1,100 posts on government contracting legal issues. Steven has been quoted in several national news outlets and has appeared on numerous radio programs and podcasts. A frequent featured speaker at the national conferences of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, Steven was honored as a “Friend of APTAC” at the Spring 2016 APTAC National Conference.
In addition to his work for Govology, Steven volunteers for and serves as a Director of a nonprofit organization providing wrap-around services to disadvantaged families. He is also a co-founder and Director of a nonprofit organization promoting the great sport of pickleball in Lawrence and the surrounding area.
Steven is a graduate of Duke University and the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary. Steven lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, two children, and two cuddly cats.
Steven welcomes APEX Accelerator counselors to contact him by email at skoprince@govology.com and connect with him on LinkedIn.
-
Shane McCallEquity partner, Koprince McCall Pottroff LLCShane is an Equity Partner at Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC and Editor of the SmallGovCon federal contracting legal blog. He has authored multiple GovCon Handbooks including ones on Joint Ventures and Procedures and Pitfalls of Size Protests and Appeals. He assists small businesses in FAR and SBA compliance issues, transactional issues such as joint ventures and teaming agreements, and regularly litigates GAO bid protests, size and status protests (including under the SDVOSB program), and claims. Shane’s writing on small business government contracting matters can regularly be found at SmallGovCon, and his work has appeared in Contract Management magazine. He speaks on government contracting issues to audiences around the country. You can contact him at smccall@koprince.com.
Responses