As I mentioned in a recent post, the Department of Defense (DoD) is using its “other transaction” authority with increased frequency to attract non-traditional defense contractors and to capitalize on the cutting-edge technological advancements found in the commercial marketplace. Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) are not procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements and, as such, many procurement laws and regulations do not apply, including the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).  Continue Reading Bid Protests: Are Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) Really Bulletproof?

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Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s 12th Annual Intelligence Community Legal Conference to discuss acquisition reform with some of the top government attorneys in the intelligence community. Much to my surprise, the majority of the conversation focused on bid protests and the impact that protests have on federal procurements. During my time as a government attorney defending against bid protests, I gained valuable insight into how the government works to defeat them and what contractors can to do improve their chance of success. Some of these lessons are shared below.  Continue Reading Bid Protests: An Insider’s Perspective

If you gave me $17 million on the credit card, I could call Cabela’s tonight and outfit every soldier, sailor, airman and Marine, and I’d get a discount on it for a bulk buy. This is a pistol. The technology’s been around for five centuries, and arguably it’s the least important weapons system in the Department of Defense inventory.[1]

Senior leaders within the Department of Defense (DoD) have grown increasingly frustrated with an acquisition system characterized by ever-increasing costs and significant delays in getting end items to customers. Their frustration has been heard by Congress and has resulted in recent Congressional action. The latest major acquisition reform effort started with the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with each subsequent NDAA containing various provisions that are meant to modernize and accelerate the antiquated and cumbersome federal acquisition system providing flexibility and allowing for the agile acquisition of next-generation technology. Continue Reading The Future of Acquisition in the Federal Government: Innovation and Rapid Procurement Through Other Transaction Authorities and Other Transaction Agreements

Effective May 25, 2018, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) amended its regulations regarding a contractor’s size and/or socio-economic status following a novation, merger, or acquisition. Specifically, through a “technical correction,” the SBA revised its regulations to dictate that when a company becomes “other than small” or no longer has a certain socio-economic status (veteran-owned, woman-owned, HUBZone, etc.) as a result of a novation, merger, or acquisition, the business is no longer eligible to compete for set-aside task orders on multiple-award contracts held by the company. This change in eligibility is applicable even where the contracting officer does not specifically request a recertification.  Continue Reading Contractor Beware: SBA Expands Impact of Novation, Merger, or Acquisition on Size and Socio-Economic Status

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We recently hit the road with Onvia, a leading government market intelligence company that was just acquired by Deltek. The combination of Onvia and Deltek’s GovWin IQ provides enterprise, mid-market, and small business customers with the most comprehensive set of federal, state, and local government contracting leads and market intelligence.  Continue Reading On the Road to Connect Business and Government!

Hand with megaphoneHello from Nashville, Tennessee! I’m currently at the National 8(a) Association’s Winter Conference and had the privilege of participating in a great panel discussion with some of the leading small business scholars and practitioners in the country. It was truly a great experience. Since I’m here and it’s fresh on my mind, I thought I’d share something that all SDVOSBs should know: Your world is about to change.

Continue Reading National 8(a) Winter Conference – Changes Coming for SDVOSBs

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The Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014 required the U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) to establish an electronic docketing system for bid protests. Now, four years later, there are indications that the GAO might be moving to the Electronic Protest Docketing System (“EPDS”) sometime this year. Before going live with EPDS, the GAO is implementing a pilot program in which certain protests already filed at the GAO will be moved into EPDS. The pilot program will ensure that EPDS is fully operational before it goes live and becomes the sole means for filing a bid protest at the GAO.  Continue Reading The GAO’s Electronic Docket May Be Going Live Soon!

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The National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) for Fiscal Year 2018 includes enhanced post-award debriefing requirements for the Department of Defense (“DoD”). This change is likely a response to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy’s (“OFPP”) January 5, 2017 memorandum. The memorandum debunked certain misconceptions about the debriefing process and encouraged agencies to adopt best practices and maximize the value of debriefings. One such myth that the OFPP’s memorandum debunked was that debriefings always lead to protests. The memorandum advocated for more transparency in the debriefing process, explaining that, in fact, an effective debriefing process can greatly reduce the frequency of protests. Continue Reading Good News for Department of Defense Contractors: Enhanced Post-Award Debriefing Requirements are on Their Way!

Pins of vacation trip on world map with long shadow. Vector illustration traveling concept.

This article originally appeared in The Legal Intelligencer on January 02, 2018

On Nov. 29, 2017, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced a revised Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Corporate Enforcement Policy. The new policy contains a clear roadmap for avoiding corporate criminal liability that corporate counsel would be wise to follow.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, 15 U.S.C. Section 78dd-1 et seq. (FCPA) makes it unlawful for an “issuer” or “domestic concern” defined by the act to make payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Continue Reading What In-House Counsel Must Know About the Revised Corporate Enforcement Policy

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Federal contractors generally don’t need to worry too much about statute of limitations issues on federal contract claims because the Contract Disputes Act (“CDA”) includes a generous six-year window to file. However, it is vital to remember that there are exceptions to this rule, the most important of which is the one year deadline for filing any claim relating to a termination for convenience settlement proposal. Continue Reading An Important Reminder for Federal Contractors: Act Fast on Termination for Convenience Claims!