Late Friday, the Department of Justice announced its first charges under the Procurement Collusion Strike Force. A federal grand jury seated in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned a six-count indictment against Ohio-based Contech Engineered Solutions LLC and its former executive for their involvement in a decade-long conspiracy to rig bids for North Carolina
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CARES Act Small Business Loans Move Forward but with Significant Revisions




In the early morning hours of April 3, 2020, SBA has released an overhauled Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application form (SBA Form 2483) and Treasury has posted a draft temporary Interim Final Rule implementing Sections 1102 and 1106 of the CARES Act. Since the passage of the legislation a week ago and…
Welcomed Guidance: DoD Issues Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Program Instructions




The Defense Department (DoD) recently released Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 5200.48, “Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI),” which provides the DoD’s long-anticipated guidance on how to mark and handle CUI in accordance with the Federal Government’s broader CUI Program and DFARS 252.204-7012. In doing so, it cancels legacy CUI guidance under DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume…
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) Section 3610 — Billing and Contractual Relief for Government Contractors When Employees Cannot Work due to the COVID-19 Pandemic







The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), passed by Congress today, offers relief specifically targeted to federal contractors whose employees (1) cannot perform work on a “site that has been approved by the Federal Government ” during the COVID-19 public health emergency due to facility closures or other restrictions and (2) cannot…
Follow Up: White House Issues Order under Defense Production Act as Part of COVID Response








On March 23, 2020, the President signed an “Executive Order on Preventing Hoarding of Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID-19” delegating additional authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 (“DPA”), which builds on Executive Order (EO) No. 13909, issued March 18, 2020, which we discussed here.…
The Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force



Virginia law enforcement agencies have created a new task force to address the increased threats of fraud associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, the Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force is a joint federal and state initiative that will be led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin G. Cooke in the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant U.S.…
OMB Releases Guidance on Contract Performance Issues Impacted by COVID-19


On March 20, 2020, the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) released guidance to agencies heads on managing federal contract performance issues impacted by COVID-19 [Linked here: M-20-18]. The memo and attached Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) focus on the following main issues:
Telework: agencies are encouraged to maximize telework for contractor employees, wherever…
COVID-19 Benchmarking Survey


We thank our clients for your input on our effort to help contractors benchmark what companies are doing as part of COVID-19 contingency planning. Please use the survey link below to access the brief benchmarking questionnaire. Assuming we have a sufficient number of responses, we will aggregate and share responses (on an anonymous basis).
Access …
DOJ Antitrust Division Assistant Criminal Chief and USPS IG Special Agent Talk Procurement Collusion Strike Force



On Tuesday, the ABA’s Antitrust and Public Contract Law Sections held a panel discussion with DOJ and other government enforcers to provide an update regarding the PCSF’s most recent activities. According to Mark Grundvig, Assistant Chief of Washington Criminal II at the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division and Marcus Mills, Special Agent of Major…
All Things Protest: The More You Know – Debriefing-Adjacent Developments



Crowell & Moring’s “All Things Protest” podcast keeps you up to date on major trends in bid protest litigation, key developments in high-profile cases, and best practices in state and federal procurement. In this episode, hosts Rob Sneckenberg, Olivia Lynch, and Christian Curran highlight two developments that should provide contractors additional insight into agency procurement …