Judge R. Stan Baker of the US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued an order (Order) on December 7, 2021, enjoining the federal government “from enforcing the vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors in all covered contracts in any state or territory of the United States of America.” This comes on the heels of the November 30, 2021 order by a federal court in Kentucky (see our article here) blocking the federal government’s ability to enforce the obligation embedded in clauses in federal government contracts and other instruments requiring employees of federal contractors with covered contracts in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee to be fully vaccinated by January 18, 2022.
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COVID-19
Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate Enjoined in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee: The Implications
The Government’s enforcement of contract provisions implementing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate with regard to federal contractors and subcontractors required by President Biden’s Executive Order 14042 (the EO) was preliminarily enjoined by a federal court in Kentucky in a case brought by the states of Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee (and two Ohio sheriffs). In his Opinion and Order of November 30, 2021 (the Order), Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (the Kentucky court) concluded, among other findings, that it was likely that the President exceeded his authority under laws delegating to the President management of federal procurement and requiring federal agencies to engage in “full and open competition” procurements. The court also raised concerns about whether the President’s actions violated the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution and the “nondelegation doctrine,” a constitutional principle recognized by the US Supreme Court that Congress does not have unlimited discretion in delegating to the President the power to make laws.
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Important Updates on Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate—Deadline Extended and Flexibility Added
UPDATE: The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued updated Guidance on November 10 confirming that the date a covered employee must be fully vaccinated is January 18, 2022.
With the addition of new answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on November 1, and the November 4 “Fact Sheet” issued by the White House accompanying the rollout of the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccination requirements for, respectively, employers with 100 or more employees and health care workers and facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid, federal contractors have been given additional breathing room to address recalcitrant covered employees who are resisting the vaccination mandate.Continue Reading Important Updates on Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate—Deadline Extended and Flexibility Added
Summary of Agency Class Deviations Implementing Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate
The Government Contracts and Global Trade Group is pleased to provide a summary of some of the key class deviations and other memoranda published by U.S. Government agencies implementing the federal contractor COVID-19 vaccine mandate (Executive Order 14042). You may find a complete listing of all class deviations at Acquisition.gov.
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This Will Only Hurt a Bit: The GSA Mandates COVID-19 Vaccines in Nearly All Existing Contract Types
The General Services Administration (GSA) released its Class Deviation CD-2021-13 (the GSA Deviation), which, effective immediately, “provides instructions for the GSA acquisition workforce on when to include a new clause [i.e., Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.223-99] (the Clause) in GSA solicitations and contracts and contract-like instruments.” Unlike the recent instructions and directions provided by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council (CAAC) and the Department of Defense (DoD) and its DFARS Class Deviation (discussed in detail here), the GSA provided “GSA-specific implementation timelines for solicitations, new contracts, and existing contracts” to ensure that by October 8, 2021, all covered solicitations, new contracts, and existing contracts subject to Executive Order 14042, “Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors” (EO 14042), adhere to its mandates and the evolving guidance issued by the Safer Federal Task Force. This implementation includes the insertion of the Clause into new and existing GSA solicitations and Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts awarded after October 15, 2021, and new contracts and leases awarded after November 14, 2021. The instruction applies broadly even to solicitations or contracts that have a value equal to or less than the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) or are for the supply of products (either solely for products or for products and services). Moreover, the GSA is instructing its contracting officers to issue a letter to all existing contractors asking for their consent to a modification including the Clause. The end result is the expectation that virtually all GSA contracts and contract-like instruments will require all covered employees to be fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021. An analysis of the GSA Deviation’s key points, highlighting the confusion related to subcontract flow-downs, follows below.
Continue Reading This Will Only Hurt a Bit: The GSA Mandates COVID-19 Vaccines in Nearly All Existing Contract Types
The Clauses Implementing Vaccination Mandate for Federal Contractors Are Out—Key Considerations for Contractors
Four memoranda, released in the last several business days, provide federal contracting officers guidance and suggested clauses to implement President Biden’s Executive Order 14042 (the Executive Order) in federal contracts imposing mandatory vaccination and workplace safety protocols for covered federal contractors and their employees as early as October 15, 2021. Issued by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) (the FAR Council Memo), the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council (CAAC) (the CAAC Memo), the Principal Director, Defense Pricing and Contracting for the Department of Defense (DoD) (the DoD Memo), and the General Services Administration’s Senior Procurement Executive (the GSA Memo) (which we will be discussing in a separate posting), the memoranda move quickly to provide all procuring activities the necessary tools to ensure that by October 8, all solicitations and contract subject to the Executive Order adhere to its mandates and the evolving guidance issued by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (issued September 24) (Task Force Guidance). For those unfamiliar with the Executive Order and the resulting Task Force Guidance, please feel free to review our prior discussions of those issues here and here.
Continue Reading The Clauses Implementing Vaccination Mandate for Federal Contractors Are Out—Key Considerations for Contractors
Broad Categories of Employees of Federal Contractors Now Required to Be Fully Vaccinated by December 8–Law360
This article appeared in Law360.
The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued on Sept. 24 its guidance for federal contractors and subcontractors[[1] as required by President Joe Biden’s Sept. 9 executive order on ensuring adequate COVID-19 safety protocols for federal contractors.[2] The guidance was approved by the Office of Management and Budget on the same day.[3]
The guidance contains three key provisions:
- Mandatory vaccination of covered contractor employees who are not legally entitled to accommodation;
- Masking and physical distancing while in covered contractor workplaces in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines; and
- The designation by each covered contractor of a point person or persons to coordinate COVID-19 workplace safety efforts at covered contractor workplaces.[4]
What’s Next for Federal Contractors and Mandatory COVID-19 Safety Protocols
A day following his national address on September 8, 2021, President Biden issued two Executive Orders directed respectively to federal employees and federal contractors with the stated purpose of decreasing or halting the spread of COVID-19, including its Delta variant: Executive Order on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees (Federal Employee EO) and Executive Order on Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (Federal Contractor EO, or EO). The Federal Contractor EO was followed, on September 10, 2021, by a clarifying statement by the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) (OMB Statement). Here are some key takeaways from the two Executive Orders as they pertain to the federal contracting community, including all companies and other entities in the federal supply chain.
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The Compliance Deadline for OSHA’s COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard Is Here. Are You Ready?
Exercising its authority under Section 6(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on June 21, 2021. The ETS sets forth safety standards for employers (including federal contractors) with employees working in a healthcare setting—the workers OSHA has determined are at highest risk for workplace exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. Healthcare employers are expected to comply with the primary ETS requirements as of July 6, 2021, while compliance with additional requirements concerning physical barriers, ventilation, and training is mandated as of July 21, 2021. OSHA is inviting comments on the ETS, including whether it should become a final rule. The deadline to submit comments regarding the ETS and whether it becomes a final rule is July 21, 2021, and the deadline to comment on the information collection determination is August 20, 2021.
Continue Reading The Compliance Deadline for OSHA’s COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard Is Here. Are You Ready?
Prevention v. Cure: Supply Chain Hygiene Is the Key to Defending Enforcement
As COVID-19 antibodies begin flooding the immune systems of most Americans, it is important to remember the important role that hygiene has played over the past fifteen months. For many, the risks and dangers of the pandemic were kept at bay by hand washing, masking, and sanitizing after every new touch. That same kind of attention to hygiene is something federal contractors should retain as they are permitted to reenter a world filled with supply chain enforcement risk.
Continue Reading Prevention v. Cure: Supply Chain Hygiene Is the Key to Defending Enforcement