GovBizConnect presents Cohen Seglias Partners Ed DeLisle and Maria Panichelli in a 4-part educational webinar series, GovCon Basics: Doing Business with the Federal Government in 2017.

February 15, 2017 – Successful Strategies for Teaming, Joint Venturing, and Mentor Protégé Relationships: Recording Available

March 29, 2017 – How to Successfully Assert and Defend Protests

May 3, 2017 – Key Considerations in Post-Award Compensation: REAS and Claims

June 21, 2017 – The Ins and Outs of Federal Government Terminations

Continue Reading GovBizConnect 4-Part Webinar Series: Doing Business with the Federal Government in 2017

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Women in Defense, Georgia Chapter presents Cohen Seglias attorneys Maria Panichelli and Amy Kirby in a 3-part educational webinar series for WOSBs, SDVOSBs, and other small businesses.

February 22, 2017 – The Perks, Procedure, & Common Pitfalls of Federal Small Business Program Eligibility & Certification: Recording Available

March 22, 2017 – Teaming Arrangements, Joint Ventures, and Mentor-Protégé Relationships

April 19, 2017 – Protests and Size/Eligibility Investigations

Continue Reading Doing Business with the Federal Government: A 3-Part Educational Webinar Series

Capitol Building

For the last few months, we have been following the troubled rollout of the “Fair Play and Safe Workplaces” rules, an Obama-era Executive Order that placed new requirements on contractors prohibiting certain labor practices. It is now becoming increasingly clear that the controversial act is likely to be a casualty of the new administration’s deregulatory agenda. Continue Reading Congress Strikes Blow to “Fair Play and Safe Workplaces”

Donkey and Elephant Tug of War for the White House

In the wake of November’s elections, just about the only thing that Washington can agree on is a pervasive sense of uncertainty about the future, which includes the direction of government regulation. The fact that many incoming agency heads and cabinet secretaries come from nontraditional backgrounds and, consequently, do not have a long record of public comments only serves to deepen the apprehension across regulated industries.  Continue Reading A New World Order?

Human hand holding a document.

Government contractors know that an unfavorable performance review posted to the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (“CPARS”) can be extremely costly. Many negotiated solicitations include past performance as an important or even primary evaluation factor for contract award. An unfavorable review on a past contract can impose significant costs on the contractor to address the unfavorable review with contracting officers on future solicitations. However, the contractor saddled with an unfair and inaccurate CPARS review may now have a means to challenge the review and recover some of these costs.  Continue Reading A New Way to Claim Damages Resulting from an Unfavorable CPARS Rating

2016-2017

Last month, we reported that the Government Accountability Office’s (“GAO”) statutory authority to hear bid protests on civilian task orders exceeding $10 million had expired, leading to a parade of dismissed protests and disappointed contractors left without legal recourse. As of last week, there is reason to be hopeful, as the House of Representatives and Senate agreed on legislation that promises to permanently restore the GAO’s authority to hear civilian bid protests.  Continue Reading Proposed 2017 NDAA is a Mixed Bag for Government Contractors

In a recently released bid protest decision that could spell trouble for federal agencies, the Court of Federal Claims rejected as unreasonable the Federal Highway Administration’s (“FHWA”) proposed corrective action in an $18 million procurement for support services.  Continue Reading Court of Federal Claims Puts Corrective Action Under the Microscope

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Several months ago, we summarized the issuance and implications of Executive Order 13673, known as the “Fair Play and Safe Workplaces” order. In short, the order requires federal contractors to:

  • Report labor law “violations” of itself or any of its subcontractors (where the estimated value of the subcontract exceeds $500,000) under various federal employment and labor laws;
  • Restrict the use of binding, pre-dispute arbitration provisions in non-collectively bargained employment contracts; and
  • Establish “paycheck transparency” through the issuance of wage statements to all individuals performing work under a covered contract.

Continue Reading Federal Court Puts a Halt to “Fair Play and Safe Workplaces”

NVSME 2016

For the second year in a row, Maria Panichelli will be teaching courses on small business contracting at the National Veterans Small Business Engagement (NVSME) in Minneapolis, MN on November 2nd. The NVSBE directly connects Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) with Procurement Decision Makers (PDMs) from the Department of Veterans Affairs, other federal agencies, state government, as well as large commercial firms with small business needs. NVBSE continues to prove as the most effective way to directly connect VOSBs with potential buyers in the federal and commercial marketplaces.

Continue Reading 2016 National Veterans Small Business Engagement