Steven J. Koprince, Senior Associate

Guiding Growth. Securing Success.

skoprince@pilieromazza.com
202 857 1000 tel
202 857 0200 fax

Steven J. Koprince, a senior associate with PilieroMazza PLLC, practices in the areas of government contracts and small business law.   Mr. Koprince counsels clients in a wide variety of matters, including compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the rules and regulations governing eligibility and participation in the federal government’s programs for small, disadvantaged businesses, such as the 8(a) Business Development Program, the HUBZone Program, the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program, and the Women-Owned Small Business Program.  Mr. Koprince understands the unique hurdles small businesses face in developing relationships with other companies (like affiliation and the FAR’s limitations on subcontracting).  To that end, Mr. Koprince assists clients in creating compliant teaming agreements, joint venture agreements, subcontracts, and mentor-protégé relationships.
 
Mr. Koprince believes that when it comes to government contracts, every small business deserves a fair shake.  When the system goes awry, Mr. Koprince helps clients ensure that they are treated fairly by pursuing bid protests with the Government Accountability Office and U.S. Court of Federal Claims.  In addition, for small business set-aside procurements, Mr. Koprince prepares protests and appeals before the U.S. Small Business Administration and the SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, including protests of competitors’ sizes and/or eligibility to receive contracts designated for participants in the 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and women-owned small business programs. 
 
In today’s highly competitive federal marketplace, businesses are increasingly facing challenges to their contract awards.  To that end, Mr. Koprince helps clients aggressively defend their federal contract awards, including by intervening in GAO bid protests and defending SBA size protests.  And when clients face audits, investigations, proposed decertification from the 8(a) or HUBZone programs, False Claims Act allegations, or suspension or debarment from federal contracting, Mr. Koprince assists clients in responding and defending their interests.
 
In Mr. Koprince’s practice, favorable outcomes often occur outside the public eye.  Mr. Koprince has helped numerous clients obtain corrective action from procuring agencies in response to GAO bid protests, obtained successful results in SBA size and eligibility protests, and negotiated prompt, favorable settlement or resolution of other claims and disputes, all which occur without the issuance of published decisions.  However, some of the favorable published results Mr. Koprince has assisted PilieroMazza clients in obtaining include:
  • Successfully appealed adverse SBA size determination to SBA OHA, overturning SBA Area Office's decision that client was affiliated with another business due to an identity of interest based on a familial relationship, in Size Appeal of SP Technologies, LLC, SBA No. SIZ-5319 (2012)
     
  • Successfully appealed adverse SBA size determination to SBA OHA, overturning SBA Area Office's decision that client had violated the ostensible subcontractor affiliation rule, in Size Appeal of National Sourcing , Inc., SBA No. SIZ-5303 (2011)
     
  • Successfully appealed adversed SBA size determination to SBA OHA, preserving client's small business size status in Size Appeal of Innovative Contruction & Management Services, LLC,  SBA No. SIZ-5202 (2011)
  • Filed successful appeal of adverse SBA service-disabled veteran-owned small business eligibility determination, allowing client’s joint venture to obtain SDVOSB set-aside contract in a decision with important precedential value for all service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, Construction Engineering Services, LLC, SBA No. VET-213 (2011)
     
  • Successfully appealed adverse SBA size determination in which certain sales tax receipts were counted against the client, in Size Appeal of Hal Hays Construction, Inc., SBA No. SIZ-5217 (2011)
  • Intervened in GAO bid protest to successfully defend client's task order award in TreCom Systems Group, Inc., B-404676 (Mar. 29, 2011)
     
  • Filed successful appeal of SBA size determination, resulting in ruling that client’s competitor was affiliated with three other businesses, in Size Appeal of Active Deployment Systems, SBA No. SIZ-5216 (2011)
     
  •  Won GAO bid protest, successfully arguing that client’s competitor did not meet solicitation’s requirements, in J2A2 JV, LLC, B-401663.4 (Apr. 19, 2010)
     
  • Intervened to successfully defend client’s NASA contract award against a competitor’s GAO bid protest in Planners Collaborative, Inc., B-402780 (July 6, 2010), and successfully defended the competitor’s subsequent bid protest of the same contract award in the United States Court of Federal Claims, Planners Collaborative, Inc. v. United States, No. 10-476 (2010)
     
  • Successfully defended client’s contract award against a competitor’s GAO bid protest in Dorado Services, Inc., B-402244 (Feb. 19, 2010)

  • Successfully protested size of contract awardee based on the ostensible subcontractor rule and defended the awardee's subsequent appeal, see Size Appeal of Smart Data Solutions, LLC, SBA No. SIZ-5071 (2009)
Mr. Koprince is a regular speaker and author on the FAR, the SBA’s regulations governing small contractors, and other matters of interest to small businesses and government contractors.  Mr. Koprince has spoken to audiences on topics such as joint venturing on set-aside procurements, pursuing successful bid protests, and complying with the FAR’s ethics requirements.  Mr. Koprince’s work has been published in a number of leading legal and industry publications, including Contract Management,  Public Contract Law Journal, The Federal Lawyer, Set-Aside Alert, and The Procurement Lawyer.  Mr. Koprince also serves as an Associate Editor of The Procurement Lawyer, a publication of the American Bar Association’s Section of Public Contract Law. 
 
Prior to joining PilieroMazza, Mr. Koprince was an associate with Akerman Senterfitt, P.C., in Tysons Corner, Virginia, where his practice focused on government contracts and construction law.  At Akerman Senterfitt, Mr. Koprince represented and advised government contractors, public and private owners, contractors, subcontractors and design professionals.  Before entering law school, Mr. Koprince served as a legislative assistant in the United States House of Representatives.

Bar Admissions

  • Virginia, 2005
  • United States District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia, 2007
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2010
  • District of Columbia, 2011

Education

  • William & Mary School of Law, J.D., 2005
  • Duke University, B.A., 2000