The Rise of OTAs in Defense Contracting: Opportunities, Risks, and What Contractors Need to Know
Podcast - Navigating the Updated SF-328 Form
Podcast - A Comparative Guide to Obtaining an FCL: DCSA vs. the Intelligence Community
Diversifying Your Contract Pipeline by Maximizing Opportunities through the DOD’s Mentor Protégé Program
A Comprehensive Overview of FOCI Mitigation
Podcast - Defense Dynamics: Navigating the Post-Election Landscape for the National Security Sector, Part 2
Mitigating FOCI Under Section 847
Episode 345 -- Raytheon Pays $950 Million to Resolve Fraud, FCPA, ITAR and False Claims Act Violations
Everyone Come to Play: Exploring FOCI Mitigation Instruments
Defense Dynamics: Navigating the Post-Election Landscape for the National Security Sector
Podcast - Navigating M&A Due Diligence: Safeguarding Security Clearances
Podcast - Change Condition Packages: Tips for Cleared Contractors
Podcast - Corporate Documents in the Context of Clearances
Navigating Personnel Security Clearances (PCLs)
Cybersecurity Insights: Updates on CMMC Implementation and CUI Identification
What Is an FCL and How Do I Obtain One?
Protecting Our Nation’s Data: Cybersecurity Compliance for Government Contractors
Intellectual Property In Department of Defense Contracting
The When, Where, Why and How of CMMC with Fernando Machado
Judge Hertling’s recent decision in Telesto Group, LLC v. United States provides a novel approach for determining when Court of Federal Claims (also “COFC”) has jurisdiction to consider a protest of a project under the...more
Much has been written during recent years regarding the increasing volume of government acquisitions and spending effected under Other Transaction (OT) authority. These transactions are generally exempt from the requirements...more
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC) recently addressed the scope of its jurisdiction over Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements in the case of Telesto Group, LLC v. United States, No. 1:24-cv-01784. The case...more
The allegations of a plaintiff’s complaint do not control when evaluating removal under the federal officer removal statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1442(a)(1), and instead the court must credit the defendant’s theory of the case when...more
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
In a decision published on Feb. 24, 2025, Judge Armando Bonilla of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC or Court) weighed in on the ongoing debate about jurisdiction over protests of other transaction agreements (OTAs). The...more
On February 24, Judge Armando Bonilla of the Court of Federal Claims (COFC) declined to dismiss a challenge to a $648 million award under a Missile Defense Agency (MDA) development deal, finding that the court had...more
On Monday, February 24, 2025, the Court of Federal Claims (“COFC”) released the public version of a February 13 decision declining to dismiss Raytheon Company’s protest of a $648.5 million award under the Missile Defense...more
On November 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Treasury (“the Treasury”), as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), published a Final Rule expanding its authority to review certain...more
On September 20, 2024, Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chair Jack Reed (D-RI) and Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) filed a managers package to the SASC-passed version of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 National Defense...more
Last night, the House of Representatives passed the BIOSECURE Act (BIOSECURE or the Act) by a bipartisan vote of 306 to 81. The BIOSECURE Act prohibits federal agencies from procuring or obtaining any biotechnology...more
On May 16—for the second time in two weeks—the U.S. Supreme Court, this time unanimously, has taken a lenient, plaintiff-friendly view of whether a filing deadline is jurisdictional in the sense that it is governed by the...more
The recent bid protest decision in ELS, Inc., B-421989, December 21, 2023, 2023 CPD highlights an important aspect of bid protest litigation before the U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO"): task order jurisdiction....more
On December 8, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari in one case...more
Welcome to the September edition of Akin Intelligence. As the U.S. Congress reconvenes after the August recess, we continue to see bipartisan interest in artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. In the executive branch,...more
The origination of Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) traces back to the October 1957 launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union and the subsequent Space Race. Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration...more
As we have discussed previously, proximity to sensitive U.S. Department of Defense military bases and operations, such as testing ranges, is an important element of many reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the...more
On May 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in its role as the chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would (i) expand by...more
On Friday, May 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) published a proposed rule that would expand the list of military installations subject to the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the...more
In a recent dispute, the United States argued that the Court of Federal Claims lacked jurisdiction to review any disputes concerning Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, and that it is “conceivable” that no court had...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
While most federal procurements are conducted using the onerous regulations set forth in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and agency supplements, agencies are increasingly relying on the more flexible, but...more
On November 17, 2020, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) dismissed the post-award task order protest of U.S. Information Technologies Corporation (USIT) for lack of jurisdiction. Task order protests related to...more
ANTICORRUPTION DEVELOPMENTS - $34 Million SEC Settlement for Legg Mason - On August 27, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that Legg Mason Inc. will pay more than $34 million to settle an...more
On May 31, 2018, two new rules go into effect that impact the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO’s) jurisdiction to hear protests of task orders and delivery orders issued pursuant to multiple-award...more