By William Weisberg, Esq., So, I was asking myself, what about government contracts drives me up a wall? More particularly, what is most frustrating to me, as a practicing procurement lawyer? Easy: debriefings. We (at least contractor “we”) have participated in debriefings where the government “script” was some variation on: “Your proposal was terrible. Here… Read more »
News & Articles
The DOD Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification: Is Your Organization Prepared?
By Angel N. Davis, With Cybersecurity awareness a keen focal point, regardless of business size, Government Contractors now have an overwhelming responsibility to ensure the safeguarding of sensitive customer data. The latest Department of Defense (DOD) regulation being developed to support the growing number of cybersecurity concerns , is the DOD Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification…. Read more »
President Trump Revokes Executive Order Providing for Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers
By Heather Mims, Esq. Under Executive Order 13495, the policy of the Federal Government was that all Service Contract Act covered contracts over the simplified acquisition threshold were to include a contract clause requiring contractors to make good-faith offers of employment to predecessor SCA-covered employees. However, on October 31, 2019, President Trump issued an “Executive… Read more »
Forty Million More Reasons To Care About Workplace Equity
By David Warner, Actually “40,569,816 reasons,” to be exact. Last week the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a press release lauding its performance in fiscal year 2019 in which it obtained a record-setting $40,569,816 in monetary settlements from federal contractors. The results reflect a more than sixty-five percent (65%) increase over the… Read more »
Staying Vigilant – Why Ethical Compliance Under the FAR is Never Complete
By Edward W. Bailey, All too often, federal contractors let their guard down when it comes to their ethical duties under the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). This is largely because the FAR’s provisions concerning ethical conduct do not provide much specific guidance. For example, FAR § 52.203-13 requires contractors to have a “written code of… Read more »
Congratulations GSA! As Promised, the Consolidated Schedule was Released on October 1
By Maureen Jamieson Call me a skeptic. I had my bets along with others that the Consolidated Schedule would not be released on October 1, 2019. I’ve lived through many disappointments over my years working on Multiple Award Schedules (MAS). I remember the promises of no more Schedules Input Program (SIP) and the advent of… Read more »
GAO Report: Offshoring/Foreign Direct Investment – Risks to the Defense Supplier Base?
By Hon. Jack Delman Under the FY 2018 NDAA, House and Senate Committee Reports called for GAO to examine the effects of Offshoring (OS) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the Defense Supplier Base. GAO reviewed the available public data and convened a panel of experts from academia, industry, and government to address the… Read more »
#Metoo’s First Victory Over Senate-Confirmed Official and Overtime Coverage Expands
By Tyler Freiberger, Esq., More than one year ago the Federal Housing Finance Agency Special Adviser Simone Grimes testified before Congress describing a former North Carolina representative, and then FHFA Director, Mel Watt’s repeated sexual advances toward Ms. Grimes. As Grimes testified to, and the FHFA Office of Inspector General confirmed, each time Grimes expressed… Read more »
Don’t Be Left Holding the Bag – Why It’s More Important Than Ever To Thoroughly Review Your Government Contract Before Signing
By Edward W. Bailey, Boeing just challenged a recent ruling by the Court of Federal Claims which has wide-reaching implications for government contractors. In a May decision, the Court held that, by executing a contract with the government, Boeing had waived its right to challenge the government’s inclusion in the contract of certain mandatory FAR… Read more »
Service Contract Labor Standards (AKA SCA): Top 10 Things to Consider
By William Weisberg, Esq., The Service Contract Labor Standards (“SCLS”) governs how, and how much, government contractors must pay “covered” employees on “covered” contracts. Here are the Top 10 things to keep in mind regarding Service Contract Labor Standards: It used to be called the “Service Contract Act,” and many people still call it that, or… Read more »
