To further assist the contractor community with the effects of the unprecedented Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued on April 8, 2020 a Class Deviation authorizing contracting...more
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) v.1.0, after releasing several draft versions of the document over the past year. In an effort to enhance supply chain security, the CMMC sets forth unified cybersecurity...more
In response to widespread interest in allowing more small business participation in opportunities involving cloud computing, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) has decided to exclude cloud computing from the limitation...more
At the end of 2019, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) took another step to limit the potential cyber risks posed by telecommunications equipment manufactured by Chinese companies (and potentially Russian ones too). We...more
1/31/2020
/ China ,
Comment Period ,
Cybersecurity ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
DFARS ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Huawei ,
Interim Rule ,
NDAA ,
System For Award Management (SAM) ,
Telecommunications ,
ZTE
As you probably know, we have been following very closely developments relating to Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which prohibits executive agencies from purchasing restricted products and...more
On September 9, 2019, the U.S. General Services Administration (“GSA”) announced it would be issuing a mass modification (expected sometime this month) requiring all new and existing GSA Multiple Award Schedule (“MAS”)...more
We recently wrote about the FAR Council’s release of an interim rule implementing restrictions on procurements involving certain Chinese telecommunications hardware manufacturers and service providers, such as Huawei and ZTE....more
In accordance with Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (Pub. L. No. 115-232) (the “2019 NDAA”), which required imposition of broad restrictions on procurements involving certain Chinese...more
8/14/2019
/ China ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Huawei ,
Interim Rule ,
NDAA ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommunications ,
US Trade Policies
The Government remains intensely focused on how best to protect its Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) once it is released to contractors. In a shift from its initial approach of “we will take the contractor’s word for...more
In an era of trade wars, espionage, and executive orders, how can companies who wish to dive into government procurement or are already involved in procurement abide by Federal laws and data security regulations and increase...more
“Internet of Things” devices are listening. And now the federal government is taking notice. As we reported in our Government Contracts and Investigations blog, to date, federal cybersecurity regulations for government...more
5/23/2019
/ Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Agencies ,
Hackers ,
Information Security ,
Internet of Things ,
NIST ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Vendors
In 2019, cybersecurity has become top-of-mind for most federal government contractors and agencies that share sensitive information. In addition to updated Department of Defense guidance and procedures for evaluating...more
4/30/2019
/ Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Agencies ,
Information Security ,
Internet of Things ,
NIST ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Risk Assessment ,
Sensitive Business Information ,
Vendors
Each year, the Government purchases more and more cloud computing from contractors. But while many small businesses can provide cloud computing, the current rules associated with small business set-aside contracts prevent...more
After 35 days of the government shutdown, one of the (many) issues currently facing companies who contract with government agencies affected by the shutdown is if, when, and how, they must pay their employees upon the...more
The U.S. Government is increasingly taking the initiative to alert companies to the cybersecurity risks of certain foreign corporations. Whether by issuing binding directives on agencies, passing laws or promulgating...more
Pursuant to DFARS 252.204-7012, DoD contractors are to implement the security requirements in NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-171 by December 31, 2017. NIST SP 800-171 includes security requirements for protecting...more
In two recent decisions, GAO denied protest grounds challenging the ability of contract awardees to satisfy government requirements related to cybersecurity. This posting analyzes those decisions and their implications for...more
There are some big potential changes coming to the bid protest process at the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) in 2016. It is possible that this year will bring a formalized electronic docketing system, a fee for...more
Contractors and government contracts attorneys are likely to see (if they haven’t already) a rise in the number of cases in which individuals, rather than corporate entities, are targeted by government officials for...more