Generally, government agencies are given broad discretion to define their needs; however, last month, the United States Court of Federal Claims chose to curtail an agency’s authority to cancel and amend bid solicitations in Seventh Dimension, LLC v. U.S., No. 21-2275C (May 2022).
Continue Reading Broad Agency Discretion to Cancel Bid Solicitations Curtailed with Recent Court Decision – “The Tribe has Spoken”
DoD Publishes Final Rule Redesignating Contracts Previously Awarded Under FAR Part 12 Guidelines as Commercial Item Determinations (CIDs)
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently issued a final rule implementing Section 828 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, requiring the treatment of the majority of contracts for items awarded using Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12 acquisition procedures to serve as a prior commercial item determination (CID).
Continue Reading DoD Publishes Final Rule Redesignating Contracts Previously Awarded Under FAR Part 12 Guidelines as Commercial Item Determinations (CIDs)
PCSF Strikes Again: Scheme to Rig Bids Results in Federal Grand Jury Indictment
Last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a Florida grand jury indicted three men for conspiring to rig bids for customized promotional products to the U.S. Army and charged two of them with conspiring to defraud the United States. Bid rigging is how conspiring competitors effectively raise prices where purchasers — often federal, state, or local governments — acquire goods or services by soliciting competing bids.
Continue Reading PCSF Strikes Again: Scheme to Rig Bids Results in Federal Grand Jury Indictment
Opportunities for Small Business within Federal Contracting Space
In a May 4 article published by American City Business Journals’ The Playbook, I offered insight on the opportunities for small businesses to engage with federal contracting and practical steps to get started.
The federal government spent more than $665 billion on contracts in FY2020, and a variety of special programs for contracts are designed to meet the goal of spending at least 23% of all contracting dollars with small business owners.
Continue Reading Opportunities for Small Business within Federal Contracting Space
Government Contracts Labor & Employment Developments – Part 1
While we are still in the first half of 2022, it has already been a busy year in terms of labor and employment developments for government contractors. For any companies doing work for the federal government, whether as prime contractors or as subcontractors, it can be challenging to keep up with the perpetually changing requirements,
New Enhanced Debriefing Rule for Government Contractors
I recently outlined the implications of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) new “enhanced debriefing rule” for government contractors that is intended to provide information and details about award decisions. However, as I explain in the article, “While this increased transparency was intended to discourage bid protests by sharing more information about award decisions, and some
[WEBINAR] Nuts and Bolts of Teaming Agreements
We are looking forward to presenting a training webinar titled, “Nuts and Bolts of Teaming Agreements” for the Maryland Procurement Technical Assistance Center (Maryland PTAC). In this one-hour webinar, you will get answers to questions such as:
- Joint venture or subcontract?
- Mentor/protégé?
- Will my company still be eligible for a set aside if I team?
New FOIA Guidelines Favor Transparency
In a memorandum circulated during “National Sunshine Week” celebrating the importance of open government, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed heads of executive agencies and departments to favor transparency and disclosure when considering Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The memorandum was released in the wake of bipartisan calls for increased Department of Justice (DOJ) guidance on agency FOIA responses. In February, six Democrat and Republican lawmakers co-signed a letter asking the Attorney General to issue a “clear message” to improve transparency and “encourage agencies to improve FOIA implementation.” The letter cited a 2021 Government Accountability Office report finding that agency’s use of FOIA’s limited disclosure exemptions had increased 135% between 2012 and 2019. This increased reliance on exemptions drove a 76% increase in partial denials and a 10% increase in full denials of FOIA requests in the same period.
Continue Reading New FOIA Guidelines Favor Transparency
Key Considerations for Emerging Companies: Government Contracting Opportunities for “Small Businesses”
With a contracting budget approaching $650 billion per year, the United States government is the largest consumer of goods and services globally. In 2020, the federal government spent $145 billion, an equivalent of 26% of its total procurement spending, with small businesses. Breaking into government contracting can be a tremendous opportunity for small and emerging
[WEBINAR] What Was Old is New Again – Government Contractor Labor & Employment Updates
Over the past year, the Biden administration has issued a number of labor and employment executive orders applicable to government contractors. Some of those requirements are updates to Obama-era executive orders, while others are new. Together, these obligations, which include an almost 50% increase to the applicable minimum wage, can have a significant impact on contractors.
For any government contractors that have questions about these labor and employment changes, we hope you can join us for an overview of these recent developments.