Rob Sneckenberg

Rob Sneckenberg is an associate in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office, where he practices in the Government Contracts group. He represents government contractors and other companies in both litigation and counseling matters, including litigating bid protests before the Government Accountability Office and Court of Federal Claims (COFC), pursuing contract claims before the Boards of Contract Appeals and COFC, and conducting ethics and compliance reviews and civil and criminal fraud investigations under the False Claims Act. Rob received his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

By Rob Sneckenberg on December 19, 2016 Posted in Bid Protest

On December 15, 2016, GAO released its Annual Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2016, including its updated Bid Protest Statistics for Fiscal Years 2012-2016. The Report, which GAO is required to submit pursuant to the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984, 31 U.S.C. § 3554(e)(2), identifies the most common reasons for sustained protests in… Continue Reading

C&M Lawyers Conduct Live Webinar on OCIs and PCIs on Wednesday, May 11th

By James G. Peyster and Rob Sneckenberg on May 2, 2016 Posted in Events, Organizational Conflict of Interest

On Wednesday, May 11th, 2016 at 1 PM Eastern, join our Crowell & Moring attorneys for a webinar entitled: “Organizational and Personal Conflicts of Interest: New and Pending Rules.” During this 90-minute webinar, our experts will clarify key principles, including a review of 2014 proposed amendments to the 2011 FAR conflict of interest rules. From the regulatory… Continue Reading

Hiring a Former Government Official? Obtain and Hold On to the Ethics Letter

By Peter J. Eyre, James G. Peyster and Rob Sneckenberg on August 6, 2015 Posted in Ethics & Compliance

The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General (IG) recently released a July 6, 2015 Memorandum announcing that it will “immediately” begin the field work for its assessment of DoD compliance with Section 847 of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), “Requirements for Senior Defense Officials Seeking Employment with Defense Contractors.” Section 847… Continue Reading

Federal Circuit Requires Government to Indemnify Contractors for CERCLA Remediation Costs Based on “Taxes” Provision in WWII Contracts

By Rob Sneckenberg, Jonathan M. Baker, Steve McBrady and Thomas Humphrey on May 13, 2014 Posted in Legal Developments

Last month, the Federal Circuit decided a case over 70 years in the making. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and full-scale U.S. entrance into World War II, the government entered into a series of contracts with oil companies to ramp up production of aviation gasoline (“avgas”) desperately needed for the war effort. … Continue Reading

Negotiating False Claims Act Settlements

By Rob Sneckenberg on March 26, 2014 Posted in False Claims

A prominent FCA practitioner observed twenty years ago that while FCA settlements were common, it was impossible to find a standard settlement agreement, if there was such a thing, or a DOJ policy on point.¹ His words ring true today. While the FCA has become the Government’s principal anti-fraud weapon, little has been written about the… Continue Reading

GAO Releases Protest Statistics for FY 2013

By Rob Sneckenberg on January 10, 2014 Posted in Bid Protest

In its annual report to Congress under the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984, 31 U.S.C. § 3554(e)(2), GAO disclosed the following bid protest statistics for FYs 2009-2013: For the first time since FY 2006, the number of cases filed in FY 2013 decreased from the previous year (the FY 2005 – FY 2009 statistics,… Continue Reading

C&M GC Chair and Former OFPP Administrator Participates in Televised Panel on Improving Communication and Transparency Between Government and Industry

By Rob Sneckenberg on September 20, 2013 Posted in Legal Developments

This Sunday, September 22, 2013, join Angela Styles, chair of Crowell & Moring’s Government Contracts Group, as she discusses highlights from the 2013 National Contract Management Association (NCMA) World Congress Past OFPP Administrators Panel. Angela, along with NCMA Fellow Robert Burton, will appear on Government Contracting Weekly to share lessons learned and insights on how… Continue Reading

GAO Implies Presumption of Price Realism Evaluation in Fixed-Price Solicitation

By Rob Sneckenberg on May 14, 2013 Posted in Bid Protest

Fixed-price contracts allow the government to purchase goods and services for set prices and allocate the cost risk of performance to the contractor—if the contractor offers to perform the work for too low of a price, then it may reap little profit, or even take a loss. Thus, the government’s primary concern in evaluating fixed-price… Continue Reading

In-Sourcing Notification Requirements

By Rob Sneckenberg on February 25, 2013 Posted in In-Sourcing

On January 29th, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum requiring agencies to “determine and document final decisions to in-source” and requiring contracting officers to notify their affected incumbent contractors within 20 days of receipt of such in-sourcing decisions. The memorandum, titled “Private Sector Notification Requirements in Support of In-Sourcing Actions,”… Continue Reading

What will they think of next? Qui tam relator alleges False Claims Act violation for “fraud-on-the-FDA”

By Rob Sneckenberg on November 19, 2012 Posted in False Claims

A recent case from the District of Massachusetts illustrates how the False Claims Act may be stretched to cover companies that do not even submit claims to the government. In U.S. ex rel. Ge v. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Nos. 10-11043-FDS, 11-10343-FDS (D. Mass. Nov. 1, 2012), the relator alleged that Takeda Pharmaceuticals violated the FCA… Continue Reading

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