A key benefit of Small Business Administration’s (SBA) All Small Mentor Protégé Program (ASMPP) is the opportunity for mentors and protégés to form joint ventures to bid together on prime and subcontracts as a small business. As the number of MPP relationships has grown, so too has the use of the ASMPP joint ventures (JV) to pursue opportunities previously out of reach for both parties. Hear from a panel of experts on best practices in JV formation, structuring, and growing the MPP relationship.

Please join Bass, Berry & Sims attorneys Todd Overman (moderator) and Sylvia Yi, joined by Steven Williams (Deloitte) and Ken Dodds (Live Oak Bank), for a webinar on June 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT, as they discuss these opportunities and much more. Click here to register.Continue Reading [WEBINAR] SBA ASMPP Joint Ventures: Best Practices for Successful Partnerships

The Bass, Berry & Sims international trade team is actively monitoring the situation in Russia and Ukraine and providing real-time advice to clients on managing the situation. This post summarizes new U.S. sanctions and export restrictions as of Monday, June 6. This post supplements our previous summaries, which are available by following the links at the end of this blog post.

Commerce Department Issues Final Rule Refining the Export Administration Regulations and Improving Transparency in Export Enforcement Cases

EAR Amendments and Clarifications

On June 2, the U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a final rule refining certain provisions of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

Several portions of the rule expand and refine the EAR restrictions related to Russia and Belarus.Continue Reading Russia, Ukraine: Update as of June 6

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”

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)

The Bass, Berry & Sims international trade team is actively monitoring the situation in Russia and Ukraine and providing real-time advice to clients on managing the situation. This post summarizes new U.S. sanctions and export restrictions as of Wednesday, June 1. This post supplements our previous summaries, which are available by following the links at the end of this blog post.

Commerce Department Issues Temporary Denial Order against Rossiya, the Fifth Russian Airline to Face Export Restrictions

On May 20, the U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) issued a temporary denial order (TDO) against Rossiya citing ongoing violations of the comprehensive U.S. export controls imposed on Russia. Rossiya is headquartered in St. Petersburg and, according to BIS, has operated multiple U.S.-origin aircraft subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) into and out of Russia without the required BIS authorization.Continue Reading Russia, Ukraine: Update as of June 1

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

The Bass, Berry & Sims international trade team is actively monitoring the situation in Russia and Ukraine and providing real-time advice to clients on managing the situation. This post summarizes new U.S. sanctions and export restrictions as of Monday, May 9. This post supplements our previous summaries, which are available by following the links at the end of this blog post.

Commerce Department Adds to Restrictions, Imposes Licensing Requirements on More Russia Exports

On May 9, the U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) announced further restrictions on exports to Russia of items deemed to support Russian military capabilities. Under the rule, the Commerce Department has introduced licensing requirements on hundreds of items that, prior to the rule, would not have required a license for export to otherwise permitted Russian recipients. The items are classified by both Harmonized Tariff Schedule and U.S. Schedule B number. According to BIS, the action has been taken to more closely align the United States with European Union export restrictions related to Russia.Continue Reading Russia, Ukraine: Update as of May 9

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

The Bass, Berry & Sims international trade team is actively monitoring the situation in Russia and Ukraine and providing real-time advice to clients on managing the situation. This post summarizes new U.S. sanctions and export restrictions as of Thursday, May 5. This post supplements our previous summaries, which are available by following the links at the end of this blog post.

Commerce Department Adds to List of Russia/Belarus-Owned Aircraft that Operated in Violation of the EAR

On April 28, the U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) added six more Utair aircraft to its list of aircraft that have flown into Russia and/or Belarus in violation of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). With these additions, BIS now has 159 aircraft on the list. BIS issued an initial list on March 18 and updated the list on March 30, April 8, April 14, and April 21.Continue Reading Russia, Ukraine: Update as of May 5

The Bass, Berry & Sims international trade team is actively monitoring the situation in Russia and Ukraine and providing real-time advice to clients on managing the situation. This post summarizes new U.S. sanctions and export restrictions as of Wednesday, April 27. This post supplements our previous summaries, which are available by following the links at the end of this blog post.

Commerce Issues Temporary Denial Order Against Russian Cargo Airline

On April 21, the U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) issued a temporary denial order (TDO) against Aviastar, citing ongoing violations of the comprehensive export controls imposed on Russia by the Commerce Department. Aviastar is headquartered in Moscow and provides various cargo services to Russia. Aviastar joins Russian airlines Aeroflot, Utair, and Azur Air, which are already subject to TDOs. See our April 7 blog on previously issued TDOs.Continue Reading Russia, Ukraine: Update as of April 27