As covered recently in this blog, the Department of Defense (DoD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration released on July 14, 2020, an Interim Rule covering prohibitions on contracting with entities that use “covered telecommunications equipment” under Section 889(a)(1)(B) (“Section B”) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (“NDAA for FY19”). Effective August 13, 2020, Section B prohibits federal contractors from “entering into, or extending or renewing, a contract with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.” In addition, “covered telecommunications equipment or services” includes telecommunications or video surveillance equipment and services produced by (1) Huawei Technologies Company, ZTE Corporation, Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company, or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof, or (2) an entity “owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of [The People’s Republic of China].”

Continue Reading DoD and GSA Release Guidance on Implementation of Section 889 Part B

Relying upon the cryptic answers provided by a Magic 8-Ball when deciding to file a protest at the United States Court of Federal Claims (COFC) may sound farcical, but a recent decision by a split panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit may render this method commonplace.  In Inserso Corporation v. United States, the Federal Circuit held that the Blue & Gold waiver rule regarding the timeliness of protests against patent solicitation errors barred Inserso’s opportunity to protest the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA’s) allegedly improper disclosure of total evaluated pricing and previously unreleased evaluation methodology during debriefings with certain offerors.  In what can only be described as requiring an offeror to possess preternatural foresight of all potential agency errors in a procurement, the Federal Circuit reasoned that Inserso should have known the type of information it challenged was likely to be disclosed in the debriefings.  In effect, the majority’s decision unmoors the venerable Blue & Gold waiver rule from its narrow application by requiring – remarkably – that contractors protest non-patent, non-solicitation issues before the deadline for receipt of proposals.  Yet the majority’s opinion isn’t the only feature of this decision that should raise contractors’ eyebrows.  As noted below, the full-throated dissent questions, inter alia, the continuing validity of Blue & Gold.

Continue Reading Dear Magic 8-Ball—Should I Protest? Critical Protest Implications Following the Federal Circuit’s Expansion of Blue & Gold’s Waiver Rule in Inserso

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, these perils and risks are embedded in sweeping new regulations that, like an unseen reef, will be arriving and taking effect all too quickly.  On July 14, 2020, the FAR Council published a long-awaited (or perhaps long-dreaded) Interim Rule implementing Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 (Section B).  Effective August 13, 2020, Section B prohibits executive agencies from “entering into, or extending or renewing, a contract with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.”  Unlike its counterpart, Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the NDAA for FY 2019 (Section A), which prohibits agencies from “procuring or obtaining equipment or services that use covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component or critical technology,” the restrictions of Section B go far beyond the immediate contract between the contractor and the government.  Instead, Section B directs contractors to discontinue any and all use of covered telecommunications equipment or services.  Even accounting for the choppy seas caused by the ongoing pandemic, the exceedingly broad scope of Section B promises sharp, jagged, and uncharted hazards to contractors attempting to implement compliant policies and procedures.

Continue Reading Risks, Reefs, and Wrecks: Charting a Course Through the Perils of Covered Telecommunications Equipment and Services

Hold on to your alphabet . . . GSA extends the MAS CD&F waiver of TAA & BAA for COVID-19 PPE to 8/1/20. If that made sense to you, please proceed to the final paragraph. But for the acronymically challenged, when everything is spelled out, it means that the General Services Administration (GSA) has extended through August 1, 2020, the agency’s Class Determination and Findings (CD&F) providing a temporary waiver of the Trade Agreements Act (TAA) and the Buy American Act (BAA) for certain personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies sold through GSA Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) contracts used to support the national coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response (the Extension). Despite the limited waiver implemented under the initial CD&F, it appears that the PPE and supplies covered “are still not available in sufficient supply from Trade Agreement and Buy America statute compliant sources[,]” thus necessitating the Extension.

Continue Reading Alphabet Soup You Can Use: GSA Extends TAA & BAA PPE Waiver for COVID-19

When entering a casino, professional gamblers understand that “the house doesn’t beat the player. It just gives him the opportunity to beat himself.” This axiom is precisely why in the long run casinos make money, while gamblers see their bank accounts dwindle. The same holds true in the corporate world with respect to the creation, implementation, and maintenance of compliance programs. A company gambling on its compliance obligations does so at its own peril and must understand exactly what the “House” expects. If it doesn’t, then that company may join the unfortunate few that roll the dice or spin the wheel and come up with snake eyes or double zeros. That risk is multiplied if the company betting on sufficient compliance is receiving federal dollars, where failure can lead to catastrophic civil and criminal liability. Fortunately, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has published its version of “House Rules” that it is supposed to consult when examining whether to investigate, prosecute, or settle criminal charges against a company. In this respect, DOJ prosecutors are tasked with looking at specific factors outlined in the “Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations” (“Principles”) section of the Justice Manual. Among other factors, these Principles instruct DOJ prosecutors to consider “the adequacy and effectiveness of the corporation’s compliance program at the time of the offense, as well as at the time of a charging decision.” In furtherance of this mandate, the DOJ’s Criminal Division issued revised guidance on June 1, 2020, regarding the specific factors DOJ prosecutors should consider in making that evaluation. This updated version of the DOJ’s “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs” (Guidance) clarifies and modifies certain areas of the version last updated in April 2019. Among other noteworthy revisions, the Guidance underscores the need for companies to ensure their corporate compliance program is:

Continue Reading Gambling on Compliance? DOJ Updates the House Rules on Corporate Compliance Program Expectations

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 to enter into joint venture (JV) agreements to compete for Government contracts should first make sure that they set aside some time to consider the impacts of proposed changes coming to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). These changes have the potential to create significant opportunities for both veteran Government contractors and new entrants to the federal marketplace who might consider competing for procurements through JV agreements.

Continue Reading Proposed Rule Introduces Critical Changes for SBA Contractors

Recently, the Defense Pricing and Contracting (“DPC”) unit under the Secretary of Defense issued draft implementation guidance for Department of Defense (“DoD”) contracting officers tasked with assessing contractor requests for reimbursement in accordance with Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and applying the recent cost principle implemented by DFARS Class Deviation 2020-O0013—topics covered in depth by this blog. This draft guidance was first alluded to in the May 1, 2020, memorandum from Kim Herrington, the DPC Acting Director, to address “the reimbursement process from requesting the contracting officer’s determination of an ‘affected contractor’ to providing a checklist to guide collection[ ] and evaluation of costs from the [contractor] seeking reimbursement [under Section 3610].” Composed of general reimbursement implementation guidance along with two attachments—a checklist for review of a contractor’s reimbursement request and instructions for using the checklist—the DPC’s draft is, to date, the most comprehensive guidance addressing contractor requests for reimbursement under Section 3610 since the DFARS Class Deviation 2020-O0013 issued on April 8. The final guidance is expected to be released shortly.

Continue Reading DoD Issues Draft Guidance for Contractor Reimbursement Under Section 3610 of the CARES Act

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 awaiting payment from the Government may find themselves swallowed whole by their contractual obligations. Many defense contracts are long-term endeavors; consequently, a contractor’s sustainability and profitability can be impacted by the sapping of available manpower while also requiring significant capital investment to manage material, labor, overhead, and other expenses incurred when performing a contract. In many cases, the upfront financial investment required serves as a barrier to entry into the government marketplace for nontraditional defense contractors. However, the DoD has recently unearthed and reanimated one of the more impressive dinosaurs buried in the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Welcome to the world of performance-based payments (PBPs).

Continue Reading The Evolution of Contract Financing: Resurrecting Performance-Based Payments Under Fixed-Price Contracts

In order to provide guidance on agency implementation of Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the General Services Administration (GSA) issued its April 21, 2020 Class Deviation CD-2020-12 (Class Deviation) covering contractor paid leave reimbursement authority in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective immediately, the Class Deviation (1) sets forth Section 3610 guidance for GSA Contracting Officers, and (2) creates a new GSA Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) contract clause prescribing controls for contractor reimbursement under Section 3610 (GSAR 552.222-70). Although the Class Deviation does not account for all implementation issues associated with Section 3610, it does establish guidelines for agency implementation of contractor reimbursement under Section 3610. Given the wide variety of contracts GSA administers for the use of other agencies, this is welcome and practical guidance for contractors.

Continue Reading No, No, THANK YOU. … GSA’s Class Deviation Provides Contractors With Welcome Guidance on the Implementation of CARES Act Section 3610

The Prospect of False Claims Act’s Treble Damages Requires Meticulous Recordkeeping Under the CARES Act

On April 10, 2020, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced its effort to root out fraud associated with the billions of dollars in payments promised under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The Congressional watchdog is encouraging individuals – private citizens, government workers, contractors, etc. – to anonymously and confidentially report any allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement through FraudNet (the GAO’s fraud-reporting website), via e-mail or by calling 1-800-424-5454 (the GAO’s automated phone answering system). The GAO, of course, is seeking as much detail as possible about any allegations so the reports can be handed off to its own investigative unit, appropriate inspector general offices, or to the ultimate enforcer – the Department of Justice.

Continue Reading Borrowers Beware: GAO Ramps Up Efforts to Root Out Fraud Among CARES Act Loan Recipients