Last month, in Raytheon Co. v. United States, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC) confirmed its jurisdiction to hear bid protests challenging the award of certain other transaction (OT) agreements. The decision names COFC...more
There is no law or regulation instructing contractors how to mark commercial technical data delivered to the Department of Defense (DoD). Yet the DoD Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) is quite clear that...more
The incoming Trump administration has sent many signals that it intends to ramp up the Department of Defense’s use of nontraditional acquisition pathways to bridge the “Valley of Death” and bring innovative technologies to...more
2/17/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) ,
Contract Terms ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Agencies ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
NASA ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
National Security ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Risk Management ,
Trump Administration ,
TSA
As of January 17, 2025, the Department of Defense’s data rights regulations and contract clauses look a little different, yet substantively very little has changed. The update is to formally incorporate changes the Small...more
1/24/2025
/ Compliance ,
Data Protection ,
Data Rights ,
Data Security ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
DFARS ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SBIRs ,
Small Business ,
STTR
On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed the Source Code Harmonization and Reuse in Information Technology Act (“SHARE IT Act” or “the Act”), which provides a formal mechanism for federal agencies to store and share...more
1/14/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Compliance ,
Contract Terms ,
Data Security ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
DFARS ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Funding ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Software ,
Source Code
On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The annual bill authorizes spending for the Department of Defense (DOD) while setting other...more
1/9/2025
/ Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals ,
Bid Protests ,
Court of Federal Claims ,
Defense Contracts ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Contractors ,
GAO ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Joe Biden ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Secretary of Defense ,
Small Business ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Secrets
On September 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued a proposed rule to update its longstanding but little-known regulations for prototype other transactions (OTs), including new sections that authorize follow-on...more
A recent decision, Independent Rough Terrain Center, LLC v. United States (“IRTC”),[1] confirms the U.S. Court of Federal Claims has jurisdiction over bid protests related to follow-on production contracts arising out of...more
Bid protests of other transaction agreements, also known as “OTs” or “OTAs,” are a common topic for this blog. These federal agreements differ from your everyday procurement contracts in that they are not subject to the...more
The Department of Defense updated its guidance on “other transaction” agreements, or “OTs,” an increasingly popular contracting authority not subject to the FAR or most procurement laws that accounted for more than $37...more
As most experts expected, Congress has passed the bill to reauthorize the SBIR and STTR programs until September 30, 2025. The bill is now headed for the White House, where the President is expected to sign it into law....more
As of this posting, Congress has not yet reauthorized the popular Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Given the broad bipartisan support for these programs, most...more
There has been significant uncertainty as to where a company can protest an Other Transaction (“OT”) award. As we previously reported, cases such as SpaceX, MD Helicopter, and Kinemetrics have provided useful data points. The...more
Federal contractors received some good news from the Federal Circuit this holiday season. The court held, in Boeing Co. v. Secretary of Air Force, that the Department of Defense (DoD) Federal Acquisition Regulation...more
Federal contractors received some good news from the Federal Circuit this holiday season. The court held, in Boeing Co. v. Secretary of Air Force, that the Department of Defense (DoD) Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement...more
Both houses of Congress now have voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021. Although the threat of a presidential veto still hangs over the NDAA, we highlight below a few of the...more
12/15/2020
/ Bid Protests ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
DFARS ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financing ,
NDAA ,
Progress Payments ,
SBA ,
Small Business ,
Software ,
Subcontractors
This month’s bid protest roundup (featured on Law360) examines three recent decisions by the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”). The first, Solers[i], examines potential conflicts of interest arising out of the...more
Department of Defense (“DoD”) acquisition chief Ellen Lord earlier this week issued a memorandum reducing internal approvals required to issue other transactions (“OTs”) for prototype projects related to the national...more
BID PROTESTS, LATEST DEVELOPMENTS & TWISTS -
Bid Protests: Agenda -
1. LOGCAP V and Task/Delivery Order Protest Jurisdiction
2. SpaceX and Other Transaction Authority Protest Jurisdiction
3. Potential Impact of New...more
The most common question we hear from clients about the recent boom in the Department of Defense’s spending on other transactions, or OTs, is a simple one: How can I get in on the action? Understandably, OTs – essentially...more
Congress recently authorized the Department of Defense’s spending for Fiscal Year 2019 and, unsurprisingly, attached some strings in the guise of acquisition reform. One of these is a modest change to the burden of proof in...more
Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs): The term is familiar among government contractors, yet commonly misunderstood. Recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), in Oracle America, Inc., B-416061, May 31, 2018, 2018...more