You are reading the September 2024 Update of the Bass, Berry & Sims Enforcement Roundup, where we bring notable enforcement actions, policy changes, interesting news articles, and a bit of our insight to your inbox.
Continue Reading International Trade Enforcement Roundup – September 2024On September 19, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report highlighting a gap in current Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCIs) restrictions. According to the report, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) does not adequately address how contracting officers should consider bids from contractors who engage in contracting activities with the government of China and other countries of concern.
Continue Reading New Organizational Conflict of Interest Regulations Coming SoonOn August 23, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a proposed rule that would make significant changes to SBA’s recertification requirements. Most notably, the rule would change when size and socioeconomic status are determined and amend when a contractor’s eligibility under certain multiple-award contracts upon recertification.
Continue Reading SBA Seeks to Make Changes to Recertification Requirements for Multiple-Award ContractsOn September 10, the Court of Federal Claims (COFC) issued an opinion in Zolon PCS II, LLC v. United States, holding that the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA or Agency) unreasonably issued a deviation from FAR 52.204-7, which requires offerors to be continuously registered in SAM.gov from the time of proposal submission through award.
Continue Reading Bid Protest Minute: COFC Makes It Clear; SAM Registration Can Sink a ProposalThe Department of Defense (DoD) has long searched for ways to foster innovation in the defense industrial base by harnessing US comparative advantages like our capital markets and American technological innovation. The recent establishment of the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology (SBICCT) Initiative aims to do just that as it adds another instrument to the DoD’s tool belt in order to “build enduring advantages for the warfighter and for the taxpayer.” Given the favorable terms offered, those looking to deploy capital should carefully review the benefits the SBICCT program has to offer.
Continue Reading SBICCT Initiative Adds New Tool to Drive InnovationWe recently authored an article for Business Law Today offering insight into a proposed amendment to the operations of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the interagency committee that reviews foreign investment in the United States for potential national security implications.
Continue Reading Insight on U.S. Foreign Investment Regulations for ABA Business Law Today
You are reading the Summer 2024 Update of the Bass, Berry & Sims Enforcement Roundup. After a short hiatus, we are back to reporting on notable enforcement actions and policy changes and providing a bit of our insight.
Continue Reading International Trade Enforcement Roundup – Summer 2024On August 22, the United States filed its complaint-in-intervention (Complaint) against the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Georgia Tech Research Corp. (GTRC, collectively, defendants), asserting claims that the defendants knowingly failed to meet cybersecurity requirements in connection with certain Department of Defense (DoD) contracts in violation of the False Claims Act.
The government’s Complaint – the first filed in connection with its Civil Cyber-Security Initiative – highlights the government’s increasing scrutiny of cybersecurity compliance and offers several noteworthy takeaways for government contractors.
On August 9, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a proposed rule that seeks to amend and update the Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) to align health IT procurement requirements. The rule mandates that health IT procured by HHS meet certain “standards and implementation specifications adopted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.”
Continue Reading HHS Proposed Rule Seeks to Align Health IT Procurement Standards to Leverage Interoperable DataOn August 15, the Department of Defense (DoD) published a proposed rule to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to incorporate contractual requirements related to the proposed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 program rule.
Continue Reading DoD Publishes Proposed Rule to Amend DFARS Provisions Related to the CMMC 2.0 Program