A flurry of federal prosecutorial activity in late 2024, as well as a statement from several institutional stakeholders in a key federal initiative to combat procurement fraud, provided a valuable reminder for government...more
The re-election of former President Donald J. Trump is poised to significantly alter the landscape of antitrust enforcement, particularly within the energy and chemical industries. While the incoming administration has yet to...more
The Department of Justice recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), and all signs point to the PCSF continuing to be a Division priority into 2025 and beyond....more
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruling that limits the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) ability to bring criminal charges for antitrust violations to stand. On November 12,...more
At this mid-point of 2023, and now several months on from the ABA’s Spring Antitrust conference, there have been several notable developments concerning cartel enforcement, as new leadership settles in at the U.S. Department...more
On January 17, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice announced that it had obtained another in a recent string of guilty pleas as a result of investigations into government contracting by the Procurement...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF, or Strike Force) celebrates its third anniversary this month. Formed in November 2019 as an interagency partnership consisting of DOJ’s antitrust...more
Continuing its prolific run of indictments, guilty pleas, and convictions, on July 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF or Strike Force) secured a guilty plea from a Texas...more
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has had a rough year in the criminal arena. While the Antitrust Division has aggressively blocked several proposed mergers, it has lost several significant criminal cases. ...more
Last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a Florida grand jury indicted three men for conspiring to rig bids for customized promotional products to the U.S. Army and charged two of them with conspiring to...more
Procurement Collusion Strike Force - The Procurement Collusion Strike Force, formed by the Department of Justice in 2019, is ramping up enforcement pressures against government contractors. The Strike Force brings together...more
On October 13, 2021, the American Bar Association’s Section of Public Contract Law held its annual public procurement symposium to discuss important issues related to federal, state, and local government contracting. Daniel...more
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division returned a criminal indictment against Seris Security and three executives, Danny Vandormael, CEO of Seris, Peter Verpoort, Director for Security at Seris, and Jean Paul Van...more
On June 7, 2021, as part of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) continuing commitment to prosecuting cases where the government is a victim, a government contractor pleaded guilty to one count of bid-rigging and one count of...more
The Antitrust Division has pushed bid-rigging and price-fixing prosecutions of government contractors. It is long overdue – fraud enforcement has uncovered a number of bid-rigging and price-fixing schemes among government...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on June 7, 2021, that a North Carolina engineering firm agreed to pay a $7 million fine and $1.5 million in restitution after pleading guilty to engaging in bid rigging and fraud...more
Compliance Today (February 2021) - The U.S. Department of Justice announced the addition of 11 new members to the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), created to combat collusion, antitrust crimes, and related...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has a renewed focus on government contracting and, more specifically, anti-competitive behavior in federal procurement. As mentioned in a prior blog post, the DOJ's Antitrust Division...more
This month, and with great fanfare, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its creation of a Procurement Collusion Strike Force. We know what you’re thinking, and no – this Strike Force will not be starring in the...more
One of the bedrock principles of federal contracting is the demand for “full and open competition through the use of competitive procedures.” In order to foster competition and reduce costs, the Competition in Contracting...more
Over the past few years, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division (“Antitrust Division”) has made numerous comments about an increased focus on rooting out anticompetitive conduct in government procurement,...more
On November 5, 2019, Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim announced the creation of a joint law enforcement task force to combat antitrust crimes and other fraudulent schemes impacting government...more
As if over-reaching under the False Claims Act wasn’t bad enough, government contractors will now be subject to a new area of investigation. On November 5, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its new Procurement...more
On November 5, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a message to which everyone in the government contracting, federal grant and program funding worlds should pay attention to by announcing the creation of a "Procurement...more