TO
A SELECT FEW
WILFONG'S
THOUGHT OF THE DAY:
OCTOBER
28, 2011
ISSUANCE
NO. 4750: A NETTER ON THE VA SITUATIONâ..
One
of our Netters, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVOB) writes a great
newsletter. We print his introductory remarks about the "VA Situation" because
it sums it up so well.
With
all this excellent writing out there, how can the White House miss what's going
on over at VA?
Hank
VA's
refusal to follow mandate of PL 109-461, Vets First Program and Aldevra GAO
Ruling telling VA to follow the Law- "Vets First". Not going to give this one a
day or two play and forget about it folks. I am asking that all of you raise
some hell about this issue.
Let
us go over the past week of information so we know what is what:
PL:
109-461 of Dec 22, 2006 - Provides Vets First Procurement Program for SDVOSBs
and VOSBs at VA. Sets a 3% Goal for VOSBs and a 5% Goal for
SDVOSDBs.
VA
Office of Acquisition and Material Management Letter of June 19, 2007: Sent out
to VA Contracting Officers stating that Vets First Contracting Program is to
begin but is worded in a manner that allows for GSA FSS to be utilized ahead of
Vets First. (In essence this Letter from VA Acquisition leadership killed Vets
First...rather than implementing it as mandated. The Law is clear and so is its
Spirit and Intent.)
Aldevra
SDVOSB Protest Sustained by GAO, October 11, 2011. GAO concludes that "the
execution in the FAR that permits agencies to award task and delivery orders
under FSS without regard to government-wide small business programs-including
SDVOSB set-aside program created by the 2003 statute (and implemented by FAR
subpart 19.14)-does not govern, or apply to, the SDVOSB set-aside program
created by the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of
2006." (PL 109-461)
In
other words folks...Vets First at VA must prevail and it is NOT trumped by GSA
FSS Schedules. Vets First means just that Vets First...(provided of course, that
two or more Vets are identified that can do the work at a reasonable
cost.)
On
October 17, 2011, Deputy Assistant Secretary for VA Acquisitions and Logistics,
Jan R. Frye, releases a Memo to his acquisitions folks throughout VA, stating
the following: âââVA determined this
GAO recommendation, Aldevra, B-405271 and B-405524, dated October 11, 2011,
shall not be followed. We expect this issue ultimately will be decided by the
courts. Therefore, VA acquisition and procurement professionals are to
continue using the Federal Supply Schedules Program, when necessary and
appropriate. The GAO recommendation does not change how VA will acquire goods
and services in support of its mission.â
Given
the clear language in Mr. Fryeâs Memo it can be gathered that the implementation
Memo disseminated to VAâs contracting community in June 19, 2007, did not fully
implement PL 109-461, "Vets First", but rather, gave VA Contracts Officers the
methodology to go around Vets First through GSA FSS schedules.
Folksâ."there
are those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those
that wonder what happened"! Please join our Veterans community, especially our
Veterans Small Business community in making our voices heard in Congress, at the
White House, in our home towns, in the media, and all across Americaâbe one of
those folks that Makes things happen!â :-)
For
your use once again, are a variety of the documents (attached) that have been
noted in this short commentary. Get involved folks...please! It is bad enough
that our Veterans' earned benefits have been eroding year after year. Now we
have a program and a Law that we have fought for and earned that is being
disregarded by the very same organization (VA) that is entrusted to care for our
Nationâs Veterans. Quite pathetic really, very pathetic and very
sad.
Let
us revisit some sacred words that are resident within PL 106-50 of August 17,
1999, âVeterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Act of
1999.â
TITLE
I â GENERAL PROVISIONS PL 106-50-AUG 17, 1999
Veterans
Entrepreneurship and
Small
Business Development Act of 1999
SEC.
101. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following:
(1)
Veterans of the United States Armed Forces have been and continue to be vital to
the small business enterprises of the United States.
(2)
In serving the United States, veterans often faced great risks to preserve the
American dream of freedom and prosperity.
(3)
The United States has done too little to assist veterans, particularly
service-disabled veterans, in playing a greater role in the economy of the
United States by forming and expanding small business
enterprises.
(4)
Medical advances and new medical technologies have made it possible for
service-disabled veterans to play a much more active role in the formation and
expansion of small business enterprises in the United
States.
(5)
The United States must provide additional assistance and support to veterans to
better equip them to form and expand small business enterprises, thereby
enabling them to realize the American dream that they fought to
protect.
Are
the words above hollow? Who in our Government will step up to make sure the
mandates of PL 109-461,Vets First Program as upheld by the GAO Ruling of the
Aldevra Protest are fully adhered to, and a true Vets First Program becomes a
reality at VA? Who within the leadership of our Country is going to help we
Veterans make this a reality? Who is in Charge?
Whoever
you are, where ever you areâmake yourself known and make it happen! Come
year-end we will have thousands of our Troops returning to a country where
Veterans' unemployment is twice that of the rest of the country. Those in
political office talk about Veterans employment and Veterans welfare and rights
and so forth and so on...let's stop the talking and do the walking! Make Vets
First happen at VA...besides, it is the LAW. Enforce it please.
Prayers
and blessings for you and your loved ones and for our very Dear Troops and their
loved ones everywhere.
Best......Wayne
-the
end-
So,
now, what is the Administration gonna do about this âVA Situationâ. Are we VETS
to suffer the continuing refusal of VA to comply with the law? Or will their
Executive Branch superiors do something about it?
Comply
with the damn Lawâ.
Will
this be discussed on The Wilfong Hourâ.but of
courseâ..
We've
been doing the show for about 37 months, nowâ. come join us every Monday- at 1
PM ET
HEREâS
THE CALL-IN NUMBERâ..
USA Toll-Free Access # : 1(712)580-7706
Dial in
then press #2-then enter the conference code
Conference Code:
8010994#
See
you in Washington, D.C. on November 10, 2011.
See
you in Savannah, GA on December 1, 2011â
âOur
ability to advocate is directly tied to your ability to agitate.â
Whyâ..Becauseâ.
The
struggle continues, until we succeed-and we shall-YES WE CAN!!!!!
Henry
T. Wilfong Jr., MBA, CPA
President, NASDB
Current or Former Positions:
Three-time Appointee of Governor and President Ronald Reagan
Pasadena,
CA City Councilman
Associate Administrator for Minority Small
Business/Capital Ownership Development, SBA
Member, National Council on
Policy Review-Black Capitalism
Member, Presidential Task Force on
International Private Enterprise
Member, California Council on Criminal
Justice
Member, NASA Advisory Council
Chair, NASA Minority Business
Resource Advisory Committee
Co-Chair,
Unity Network and Black Republicans for Obama
Member,
Savannah NAACP Economic Development Committee