On December 10, 2019, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Ellen Lord, briefed the press on the Department of Defense’s (DoD) significant acquisition reform achievements in 2019 and outlined many of the DoD’s top priorities for the coming year. Among a litany of other topics, the Secretary discussed efforts to streamline the
NIST Announces Plan for Federal Engagement in Artificial Intelligence
On August 9, 2019, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released “U.S. Leadership in AI: A Plan for Federal Engagement in Developing Technical Standards and Related Tools” (the Plan) in response to Executive Order 13859 (EO), as reported on here. In accordance with the EO, the Plan outlines the following
No Cost Compliance Check-Up for Government Contractors
Crowell & Moring is pleased to offer a no-cost review of common compliance issues that can drive down sales price or increase borrowing costs for emerging government contractors, as well as prevent purchasers from receiving full value for their investments. Government contractors face a long road to sale, fundraising, and post-acquisition integration – these processes can be derailed easily by compliance missteps, recordkeeping problems, or a multitude of other issues that may not be top-of-mind for sellers and even some purchasers. Once diligence begins, addressing these issues becomes significantly more expensive and problematic.
At Crowell & Moring, we believe in long-term strategic partnerships with our clients and stand ready to proactively assist with an analysis of potential compliance issues very early in the sale/fundraising process to avoid diligence or post-acquisition surprises. With knowledge across the whole range of government contract issues, we are well suited to evaluate a company’s government business and identify non-obvious (but very real) areas of risk.
Government Contracts Mergers & Acquisitions in 2017: Challenges and Opportunities on the Horizon
Please join us on June 27, 2017 for a lunchtime panel discussion regarding “Government Contracts M&A in 2017: Challenges and Opportunities on the Horizon.”
During this program, moderated by Peter Eyre, a panel of industry, private equity, law firm, and government representatives will tackle key considerations for buyers and sellers to take into account
Fastest 5 Minutes, The Podcast Gov’t Contractors Can’t Do Without (Aug. 19)
Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that provides a brief summary of significant government contracts legal and regulatory developments that no government contracts lawyer or executive should be without. This latest edition is hosted by Partner David Robbins and guest host, Counsel Addie Cliffe, and includes updates on the DFARS counterfeit
C&M Lawyers Conduct Live Webinar on Export Controls, Economic and Trade Sanctions on Thursday, August 11th
On Thursday, August 11th, 2016 at 1 PM Eastern, join our Crowell & Moring attorneys for a webinar entitled: “An Intro to Export Controls, Economic and Trade Sanctions: Understanding and Addressing Risks and Challenges.” During this 90-minute webinar, our experts will clarify how US export control rules specifically affect contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, consultants and manufacturers
Seismic Shift in VA Trade Agreements Act Policy
Earlier this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) announced a seismic shift in policy that opens VA Schedule 65 IB to covered drugs that do not comply with the Trade Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. §2501 et seq.) (“TAA”). While the VA’s prior policy prohibited contractors from offering TAA non-compliant drugs from on a Federal
New Zealand Companies Out of the “Chillybin”
By notice published in the Federal Register, the U.S. Trade Representative has confirmed that New Zealand has acceded to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement and thereby, effective August 12, 2015, has become a “designated country” under the Trade Agreements Act. Accordingly, products and services from New Zealand are now eligible to be procured under
OOPS 2015 Conference – Registration is Now Open!
Congress v. White House – who will win the fight? As they duke it out on policies and legislation that will impact government contractors, our legal team will help you identify vulnerabilities as well as possible opportunities. We will cover a variety of topics, including:
- The New Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order
- Developments
GSA Announces Changes in its Contractor Assistance Visits
The General Services Administration (“GSA”) is rolling out two modifications to its Contractor Assistance Visits (“CAVs”), in-person or virtual meetings between GSA’s Industrial Operations Analysts (“IOAs”) and GSA Schedule holders to assess compliance, identify potential problems, and test the contractor’s system controls and processes. Tom Brady, the Director of the Supplier Management Division, GSA Office of Acquisition Management, presented on these changes during The Coalition for Government Procurement’s webinar on March 12, 2015.
First, GSA will no longer grade contractors on report cards. GSA’s current practice is to issue a MAS Administrative Report Card following each CAV. This grade was supposed to reflect how well a contractor was complying with its contract’s terms and conditions. But contractors had expressed concern that some interpreted the grade more generally to contract performance. In response to this concern, GSA will discontinue grading its contractors on report cards (and relatedly, commits to providing contractors feedback from the CAV more expeditiously).
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