Here is a rundown of last week’s top developments related to government contracts to get you back on track and ready for this week. 1. DOD UNVEILS STRATEGY FOR CYBER DEFENSE On April 23, Defense Secretary Ash Carter unveiled the Defense Department’s second cyber strategy to guide the development of DoD’s cyber forces, and to … Continue Reading
Here is a rundown of last week’s top developments related to government contracts to get you back on track and ready for this week. 1. ISDC REPORTS 14 PERCENT RISE IN DEBARMENT ACTIONS On March 31, the Interagency Suspension and Debarment Committee (“ISDC”) released its report to Congress detailing an increase in the use of … Continue Reading
Here is a rundown of last week’s top developments related to government contracts to get you back on track and ready for Monday. 1. 6TH CIRCUIT REVERSES $657M FCA JUDGMENT Last week, the Sixth Circuit found that the government failed to adequately prove damages against United Technologies Corp and reversed the $657 million judgment against … Continue Reading
Here is a rundown of last week’s top developments related to government contracts to get you back on track and ready for this week. 1. SEC MESSAGE TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS, DON’T LIMIT WHISTLEBLOWING On April 1, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) settled its first enforcement action against a company for violating whistleblower protections by … Continue Reading
On April 1, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) settled its first enforcement action against a company for violating whistleblower protections by including restrictive language in confidentiality agreements used in its internal investigations. The SEC charged a Houston-based government services contractor with violating whistleblower protections codified in section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act. Rule … Continue Reading
Here is a rundown of last week’s top developments related to government contracts to get you back on track and ready for Monday. 1. ACCESS TO SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS = CONFLICT OF INTEREST The Court of Federal Claims upheld the VA’s decision to cancel a contract award, agreeing that the contractor’s access to solicitation documents created … Continue Reading
Here is a rundown of last week’s top developments related to government contracts to get you back on track and ready for Monday. 1. DOWNLOADING OS DOES NOT “SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSFORM” LAPTOP U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a final determination, finding that downloading an operating system into a laptop that was manufactured and assembled in … Continue Reading
1. COMMERCIAL CONTRACTING RULES APPLY TO FEDERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULES On Tuesday, March 10, 2015, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed and remanded a decision by the Court of Federal Claims, which permitted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) to include contract clauses that deviated from federal government commercial contracting rules. … Continue Reading
Government contracting is not for the faint of heart when it comes to compliance woes. Private companies looking to do business with the government face a regulatory maze so great that it may inspire references to Greek mythology, labyrinth and all. Few contract clauses reflect this sentiment of compliance pitfalls better than the General Services … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, March 10, 2015, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed and remanded a decision by the Court of Federal Claims, which permitted the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) to include contract clauses that deviated from federal government commercial contracting rules. By doing so, the Court of Federal Claims held … Continue Reading
Spring forward with a rundown of last week’s top developments related to government contracts. 1. Proposed Rule to Change Price-Reduction Clause The General Service Administration (GSA) proposed a new rule to change the basis of award monitoring requirement of the existing price-reductions clause, resulting in a burden reduction for participating FSS contractors. 2. OFPP Takes … Continue Reading
In case you spent last week (this morning) dealing with winter weather instead of reading the latest and greatest in the realm on federal contracting, here is a rundown of last week’s top developments related to government contracts, to get you back on track and ready for Monday. 1. Senate Passes “Clean” Spending Bill To … Continue Reading
Starting the first week of March , federal contractors will be subject to new prohibitions and obligations related to human trafficking. These new requirements stem from a final rule issued January 29, 2015, that significantly strengthens the Federal Acquisition Regulation’s (FAR) existing provisions to prevent trafficking in persons. The new rule goes into effect March 2, … Continue Reading
In response to recent cyber-attacks, President Obama signed an Executive Order January 2, 2015, imposing additional economic sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Executive Order authorizes the Treasury to apply sanctions against officials and entities associated with North Korea’s government and the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea. Click here for the issued … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) published a final rule today, implementing Executive Order (“EO”) 13672, signed by President Obama July 21, 2014. Before EO 13762, federal contractors were only prohibited from discriminating against employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin. EO 13762 now … Continue Reading
Back in May, a final rule issued by the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) imposed new disclosure requirements on federal contractors. Contractors will now be required to disclose whether they are owned or controlled by another business entity during their System for Award Management (SAM) … Continue Reading
The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is the worst medical outbreak of the disease in recorded history. Currently, there are no treatments or vaccines proven to be safe or effective for the Ebola virus, and investigational vaccines and treatments are only in the early stages of development. As such, the primary approach to containing the … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (“VETS”) recently issued a final rule altering the reporting requirements on veteran employment and hiring for federal contractors. The new rule revises the regulations implementing the reporting requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (“VEVRAA”). Although the rule becomes effective October … Continue Reading
