Government Contracts

Government contractors are learning the hard way that agencies need to be kept apprised of major changes within the company during the entire period of bid evaluations. Most recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) made an example of Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems, Inc. (LMIS), which was excluded from awards for failure to disclose its spin-off agreement with Leidos.
Continue Reading Buyer Beware: Lessons of Disclosure Learned the Hard Way

I provided comments for an article outlining the potential impact that President-elect Donald Trump’s administration may have within the defense industry. As I point out in the article, “[m]any companies have chosen to exit the government market because of the [recent] regulatory burdens. The compliance obligations have piled on. An enormous amount of regulation has…

On October 24, 2016, U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone granted a preliminary injunction to halt the implementation of the “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” Executive Order 13673 (EO 13673), implementing provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in the final rule, and Department of Labor (DOL) guidance that impose new reporting requirements on contractors regarding labor law violations.
Continue Reading Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Not “Fair” to Contractors, According to Texas Judge

I will be in Knoxville today presenting at the 2016 GovCon Seminar hosted by Strategic Consulting Solutions and PDS Consulting Services. My session will be focused on the expansion of the Small Business Administration’s Mentor/ Protégé Program. Specifically, I will discuss how the recent program expansion is creating opportunities for contractors, large and small. The…

I authored an article for Bloomberg BNA outlining the details of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) new Limitation on Subcontracting rule. This new rule limits the definition of a “similarly situated entity” to first-tier subcontractors. As I point out in the article, “[w]ith the option to team with other similarly situated entities, working essentially as…

Recently, Bass, Berry & Sims co-hosted (along with investment banking firm Bluestone Capital Partners and accounting firm BDO) a CEO panel discussion on “Building Shareholder Value in the Mid-Tier.”  Panelists included Chris Coleman, CEO of LookingGlass Cyber Solutions. Paul Leslie, CEO of Dovel Technologies. and Julian Setian, CEO of SOS International. Tim Garnett of The Avascent Group delivered a keynote presentation. The focus of the event was to discuss strategies for middle-market government contractors to build value for shareholders.
Continue Reading Growth Strategies for the Middle Tier

Since the start of September, the U.S. Treasury Department, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has settled with two different companies for alleged violations of U.S. economic sanctions on Iran. The settlements, the first with World Class Technology Corporation (WCT) and the second with PanAmerican Seed Company (PanAmerican), yielded vastly different outcomes.  As summarized below, we think the divergent results serve to illustrate how OFAC weighs various factors in calculating penalty amounts.

WCT.  On September 7, 2016, OFAC settled with WCT for $43,200 based on alleged violations of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR).  The alleged violations occurred when WCT exported seven shipments of orthodontic devices to Germany, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates with suspicion that the devices would be exported to Iran.  The devices were collectively valued at almost $60,000.  The exports occurred between April 2008 and July 2010.Continue Reading Iran Sanctions: Recent Enforcement Sheds Light on OFAC Penalty Calculations

Key Points:

  • Dozens more Russian and Ukrainian entities have been designated as prohibited / restricted parties
  • A limited General License authorizes transactions, for a brief period of time, to halt business with a specific Russian entity
  • The designations reflect OFAC’s continued use of the “50 percent rule,” and the challenges of diligence on Russian transaction partners

Designations. On September 1, 2016, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 37 individuals and entities pursuant to its Ukraine-related sanctions program.  OFAC last designated individuals and entities under the Ukraine program in December 2015.
Continue Reading Happy September: OFAC Extends Russia/Ukraine Sanctions

On Friday, July 22, 2016, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released a Final Rule (Final Rule) establishing a government-wide mentor-protégé program for all small business concerns, designed to increase opportunities in the federal market place and improve development for small businesses. This expansion implements the authority Congress gave SBA in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act to create mentor-protégé programs for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), HUBZone small businesses, women-owned small businesses (WOSB), and small businesses.

    The new program, which enables these categories of small businesses to benefit from the SBA-approved mentor-protégé arrangements previously only available to certified 8(a) small disadvantaged businesses, goes into effect on August 24, 2016, and will be implemented with the help of a newly formed unit within the SBA Office of Business Development devoted solely to processing and reviewing mentor-protégé applications and agreements. Instead of creating four new and separate programs covering each of the small business contracting programs (i.e., small business, SDVOSB, WOSB, and HUBZone), SBA chose to create a single program for all small business concerns modeled after the existing 8(a) Business Development (BD) mentor-protégé program, which will continue to operate as a separate program. Alongside these regulations, the Final Rule revises guidelines for joint venture agreements between a mentor and a protégé.

Opening the mentor-protégé program to new categories of small businesses creates significant opportunities for both large and small businesses. Because of the expected avalanche of applications from companies wishing to participate in this program, an overview of which is provided below, businesses that anticipate submitting applications for approval of mentor-protégé agreements should do so as soon as possible after the program goes into effect.Continue Reading Mentor-Protégé Expansion Creates Opportunities for all Government Contractors Large and Small

We recently authored an article outlining the provisions and ramifications of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) final rule governing transactional data reporting, released on June 23, 2016.  As the most significant change to the GSA Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) program in the last two decades, the new rule requires each vendor subject to the provisions to electronically submit monthly reports that provide 11 transactional data elements and replaces the current requirements relating to Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) disclosures and the Price Reduction Clause (PRC). While many remain skeptical of the benefits of the new rule, the GSA believes the transactional data clause will reduce the administrative burden on contractors, promote competition and transparency, and benefit small businesses that often lack the necessary resources to devote to business intelligence and development.
Continue Reading Update: GSA Requests Comments on Releasing Data Obtained through the New Transactional Data Reporting Rule

From the Bass, Berry & Sims Blog Network
From the Bass, Berry & Sims Blog Network

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