Sequels are rarely better than the films that precede them, and yet, sometimes a story is just too compelling to be limited to just one film. At the tail end of a summer full of Hollywood sequels, the Department of Defense...more
Just in time for the season of new backpacks, lunch boxes, and school supplies, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has assigned some homework to contractors looking to participate in Federal financial assistance...more
9/7/2023
/ Build America Investment Initiative ,
Buy America ,
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) ,
Construction Project ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
For-Profit Corporations ,
Infrastructure ,
Made in the USA ,
Manufacturers ,
Material Suppliers ,
OMB ,
Proposed Rules ,
Suppliers ,
Supply Chain
On June 2, 2023, the FAR Council issued an Interim Rule to implement the prohibition on having or using TikTok or any successor application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Limited (covered application)....more
7/17/2023
/ China ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Information Technology ,
Mobile Apps ,
Mobile Devices ,
National Security ,
OMB ,
Subcontractors ,
Supply Chain ,
TikTok
Approximately 15 months ago, on November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The IIJA is one of the Biden...more
In 2006, the documentary An Inconvenient Truth chronicled former Vice President Al Gore’s efforts to educate the public on the consequences of climate change. In the sixteen years since the Academy Award-winning film was...more
After 15 months of quarantines, restrictions, and mandatory home schooling, summer 2021 is luring with escape and excitement across the country. We all hope for beach days and reunions with loved ones as we (hopefully)...more
7/27/2021
/ Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Highway Administration ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Joe Biden ,
Jones Act ,
Made in the USA ,
OMB ,
Supply Chain
In the months since President Biden took office, legislators have tried—and thus far failed—to pass legislation raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. While the debate rages on, the Biden-Harris administration has...more
A new administration has moved into the White House, and, as anticipated, President Biden wasted no time in issuing, in the first few days of his presidency, a raft of Executive Orders (EOs) that appear calculated to set the...more
2/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defense Production Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Equity ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Gender Discrimination ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Secretary of Defense ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Supply Chain
On January 14, 2021, the Department of Justice released its updated statistics for False Claims Act (FCA) recoveries in FY 2020. The Civil Division reported that it recovered $2.2 billion in settlements and judgments in the...more
Like the sailors of old, the government contracting community ventures forth knowing full well that danger lies ahead – although fortunately not in the form of a kraken, leviathan, or other mythical sea monster. Rather,...more
Although many of us have canceled vacations during this (unusual) year, summer is nevertheless upon us. While we wholeheartedly recommend firing up the grill and enjoying the sunshine in the coming months, companies planning...more
Contracting with the Department of Defense (DoD) can provide healthy opportunities for businesses of all sizes. That said, it is no secret that contractors without the cash resources to finance their performance while...more
On March 31, 2020, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment issued a memorandum attaching a class Commercial Item Determination (CID) promulgated by the Defense Contract Management Agency...more
As most government contractors are aware, progress payments are a form of contract financing in which the Government pays the contractor based on cost throughout performance of the contract, up to a cap dictated by the terms...more
The Interagency Edison (“iEdison”) system is the principal mechanism for preserving rights to title in Government-funded inventions. Its use is now mandatory per 37 CFR 401.16, and we expect FAR 52.227-11, Patent Rights –...more
The Trump administration’s focus on enhancing “Buy American” requirements in federal procurement took a leap forward on July 15, 2019, with the issuance of an Executive Order (EO) on Maximizing Use of American-Made Goods,...more
Changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation’s (FAR) small business subcontracting rules have been slow in coming, but the FAR Council is finally catching up with the Small Business Administration (SBA) in making regulatory...more
Cough…cough…ahem…cough… Any contractor who has had the misfortune of dealing with the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) likely knows all too well that the agency is the Will Rogers of costs – it never met a cost it didn’t...more
By now, we have all read the horror stories of federal employees who are either furloughed or forced to work without pay during this historic shutdown. Less well-known, however, is the impact this shutdown has had on small...more
Texts, tweets, statuses, emojis… In our digital society, communication is now easier – and more dangerous – than ever. While instant, unfettered communication may be desirable if you want everyone to stop what they are doing...more
Buried in a grab bag of seemingly innocuous course-correcting changes to the Bayh-Dole Act regulations (effective May 14 of this year) is the removal by regulators of the sixty-day window between the federal agency’s notice...more