When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020, various lockdowns were ordered and Americans learned a new term—“social distancing.” Working remotely using videoconferencing platforms became commonplace and, in most cases, productivity did not suffer. Unfortunately, the construction industry could not employ the remote workplace, and projects continued to require hands-on personnel who could not socially distance as a practical matter and were at greater risk for contracting COVID. Workers were fearful for their families and understandably concerned about themselves. As a result, productivity suffered and the country saw shortages of construction workers. Despite this stark reality, the federal government sought to keep its construction projects on track and routinely granted exemptions from federally imposed restrictions by determining that projects were “mission critical.”
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Casey J. McKinnon
Casey advises contractors on a broad range of federal contracting issues, including the filing of bid protests, interpretation of solicitation and contract provisions, resolution of disputes, and the preparation of contract claims and the litigation of appeals. He also counsels clients on complex questions concerning the intricacies of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), domestic preference requirements such as the Buy American Act and Trade Agreements Act, and day-to-day issues that arise from contract performance.
Biden Administration Updates Contractor Vaccine Mandate Guidance in Response to Nationwide Preliminary Injunction
Last week, the Biden administration updated its position regarding enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors in response to the nationwide preliminary injunction issued by a U.S. District Court judge in Georgia. In our previous post on this topic, we questioned whether the administration would still attempt to enforce the vaccine mandate for contracts that already include the clauses mandating vaccinations. Thankfully, the administration resolved much of that uncertainty in its updated position by confirming that it will generally not enforce the mandate. However, it stopped short of a blanket policy of non-enforcement.
Continue Reading Biden Administration Updates Contractor Vaccine Mandate Guidance in Response to Nationwide Preliminary Injunction
Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors on Hold
On December 7, 2021, a federal judge issued a nationwide injunction that, for the time being, halts the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors. The injunction is a preliminary injunction, the purpose of which is to preserve the status quo until a final judgment can be reached. This means the injunction will stay in place until the court reaches a final ruling on the merits of the case.
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New Guidance on the Vaccination Mandate for Federal Contractors
In our last post, we detailed President Biden’s Executive Order 14042 regarding vaccination requirements for government contractors. The order made clear that a new clause requiring vaccinations would be included in new contracts in the near future, but questions remained about which employees would ultimately be subject to the requirements. On September 24, 2021, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) issued guidance that answered many of those questions.
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New COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Government Contractors
Government contractors and subcontractors will need to learn—quickly–how to navigate new COVID-19 requirements. On September 9, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order (the order) imposing COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements on government contractors and subcontractors. The new requirements will start appearing in contracts in a matter of weeks. Below are the key points that federal contractors need to know.
How will the vaccine requirement be implemented?
The order directs all executive departments and agencies to begin including a new and yet unwritten clause in solicitations, contracts, and contract-like instruments. The clause must state that the contractor will comply with all guidance issued by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) that pertains to a contractor or subcontractor’s workplace locations.Continue Reading New COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Government Contractors
Recent Federal Circuit Decision Highlights the Limitations of Discussions
In a typical bid protest, the protester argues that its proposal should have been evaluated more favorably or that its competitors should have received a less favorable evaluation. However, in a recent bid protest, the protester turned those arguments on their head, instead arguing that its proposal was so poor that the government owed the protester an opportunity to remedy its shortcomings.
The solicitation called for awards to be made on the basis of a best-value tradeoff. With regard to price, the solicitation called for consideration of both price realism (whether a price is too low) and price reasonableness (whether a price is too high). After proposals were submitted, the Army conducted multiple rounds of discussions with offerors to provide them an opportunity to clarify and improve the proposals. During those discussions, the Army issued more than 100 evaluation notices (EN) to the protester, DynCorp, noting issues with its proposal, including 39 related to price. Ultimately, DynCorp was not awarded a contract because its proposal received lower technical ratings than its competitors and its prices were the highest of all offerors.
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What FAR Council Updates to Small Business Contracting Requirements Mean for Large and Small Business Contractors
The SBA made numerous changes to its regulations in the past year, but the FAR Council has largely failed to keep pace. Then, earlier this month, the FAR Council published three final rules to implement long-awaited changes to the FAR’s small business contracting requirements. While the changes concern small business contracting requirements, they will impact business contractors of all sizes. For example, one of the rules makes noteworthy changes to the FAR’s Limitations on Subcontracting, resulting in a more friendly regulatory landscape for small business prime contractors. Another of the rules provides clarity for large business contractors who seek to demonstrate “good faith efforts” to comply with a small business subcontracting plan. The new changes bring the FAR’s small business contracting requirements in line with the SBA’s regulations and will be incorporated into new contracts beginning on September 10, 2021.
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Contractor’s Guide to Biden’s Buy American Act Changes: Buy More (and More and More) American
Elected officials in Washington, DC appear to have identified one topic that both parties can agree on—strengthening domestic content requirements on federal projects. In February 2021, we alerted contractors not only to Buy American Act changes previously implemented by the Trump administration but also to the potential changes addressed in a Biden administration executive order. Holding true to its word, the Biden administration recently issued a proposed rule that would make additional changes to an already complicated legal framework. Below are the key takeaways for contractors.
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Important Changes to the Buy American Act – Key Updates for Contractors
The Buy American Act includes a preference for “domestic end products” and “domestic construction materials” on federal projects absent a waiver. Prior to recent revisions, domestic end products and domestic construction materials were those that were: 1) manufactured in the U.S.; and 2) made up of at least 50% domestic components or, alternatively, were Commercially Available Off-The-Shelf (COTS) items.
The FAR Council recently issued a final rule that makes substantial changes to the FAR’s Buy American requirements (FAR 52.225-1, 52.225-3, 52.225-9 and 52.225-11) in accordance with Executive Order 13881, “Maximizing Use of American-Made Goods, Products, and Materials.” The revised FAR clauses became effective January 21, 2021, and are to be inserted in all new contracts beginning February 22, 2021. The final rule made three key changes to the FAR’s Buy American requirements:
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SBA Changes Ensure Small Businesses Can Utilize Teaming Arrangements and Subcontractor Experience
Late last year, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a lengthy final rule that made changes to various SBA regulations. While the SBA highlighted its changes to the Mentor-Protégé program, the rule will have wide-ranging impacts on small business contracting, including the treatment of a small business offeror’s capabilities, past performance, and experience.
Prior to the issuance of the SBA’s new rule, FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iii) stated that an agency “should” consider the past performance of key subcontractors, but the use of “should” left agencies with broad discretion to consider (or not consider) subcontractor past performance. In many cases, agencies still issued solicitations that explicitly precluded consideration of subcontractor experience. Such limitations prevented small business offerors from using key subcontractors or a teaming arrangement to establish the required experience and past performance.
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