On January 17, 2025, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a final rule replacing the term “significant deficiency” in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) with the term “material weakness” for use in reviews of contractor business systems. Effective immediately, a material weakness is defined as “a deficiency or combination of deficiencies in the internal control over information in contractor business systems, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of such information will not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a timely basis. A reasonable possibility exists when the likelihood of an event occurring is probable or more than remote but less than likely.” Continue Reading Contractor Business Systems: Out With the Old, In With the New (Terminology)
Final DOD Rule Codifies 20-Year SBIR Data Protection Period and Other SBIR Program Protections While Punting Potential Changes To Marking Requirements
On December 17, 2024, the Department of Defense (DOD) published a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement the data rights portions of the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Policy Directive, which itself was most recently amended in May 2023. The changes from this final rule will be effective as of January 17, 2025. Continue Reading Final DOD Rule Codifies 20-Year SBIR Data Protection Period and Other SBIR Program Protections While Punting Potential Changes To Marking Requirements
Taking Care of Business (Systems): DoD Proposes to Change the Definition of a Business System Deficiency
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently announced that it seeks public comments on a proposed change to the contractor business systems regime. The proposed rule would amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) by replacing the phrase “significant deficiency” with the new defined term “material weakness,” to mean “a deficiency or combination of deficiencies in the internal control over information in contractor business systems, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of such information will not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a timely basis.” In addition, the term would provide that a “reasonable possibility exists when the likelihood of an event occurring is— (1) Probable; or (2) More than remote but less than likely.” Continue Reading Taking Care of Business (Systems): DoD Proposes to Change the Definition of a Business System Deficiency
Commerciality Guidance for Major Weapon System Procurements
On May 30, 2024, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to implement Section 803 of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which modified 10 U.S.C. § 3455 to provide additional guidance regarding data requirements needed to support determinations of commerciality and price reasonableness under procurements for major weapon systems. The rule applies to products that (i) have not previously been deemed commercial by the DoD; and (ii) are proposed as either a subsystem of a major weapon system or as a component or spare part of a major weapon system or subsystem. Continue Reading Commerciality Guidance for Major Weapon System Procurements
DFARS Final Rule Authorizes ACO to Negotiate and Settle Direct Costs Questioned in Incurred Cost Audits
On March 22, 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to allow a procuring contracting officer (PCO) to delegate the authority to the contract administration office (CAO) to negotiate and settle direct costs questioned in an indirect cost rate proposal audit. After the delegation…
Proposed Rule Requires Certain Contractors to Provide Export Authorizations to DCMA
On March 22, 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a proposed rule that would amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to require certain contractors to provide export authorizations to the Defense Authorization Management Agency (DCMA).
DCMA performs quality assurance reviews for manufacturing operations to ensure contractors have the appropriate systems in place to meet quality and functionality standards along with contractual requirements regarding testing and validation. In some cases, DCMA will engage a foreign auditor to perform the quality assurance review. However, to do so DCMA needs insight into applicable export authorizations to see if engaging the foreign auditor is permissible.
The proposed rule would require contractors to provide export authorizations to DCMA when the contract requires (i) government quality assurance surveillance oversight and (ii) performance in or delivery to a government quality assurance country (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom). Export authorizations include export licenses, exemptions, exceptions, and other approvals. The contractor must also provide the contact information for an empowered official or export point of contact. Continue Reading Proposed Rule Requires Certain Contractors to Provide Export Authorizations to DCMA
Fastest 5 Minutes: Supplier Performance Risk System, Procurement Integrity Act
This week’s episode covers a final rule amending the DFARS to incorporate the expanded capabilities of the Supplier Performance Risk System and requirements on contracting officers, a bid protest decision at the Court of Federal Claims regarding standing, and a GAO protest decision about the Procurement Integrity Act, and is hosted by Peter Eyre and…
DFARS Proposed Rule on SBIR/STTR Data Rights and the Marking of Unlimited Rights Data
On December 19, 2022, DoD issued a DFARS proposed rule that seeks to (1) implement the data-rights portions of the May 2, 2019 Small Business Innovation Research Program and Small Business Technology Transfer Program Policy Directive (SBIR/STTR Policy Directive), and (2) impose significant changes to technical data and computer software marking requirements. The SBIR/STTR portion of the proposed rule follows DoD’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking issued on August 31, 2020 (see 85 FR 53758) and incorporates the eight written public comments that DoD received. The proposed changes to marking requirements go beyond the SBIR/STTR Policy Directive and respond to the Federal Circuit’s decision in The Boeing Co. v. Secretary of the Air Force, 983 F.3d 1321 (Fed. Cir. 2020). Continue Reading DFARS Proposed Rule on SBIR/STTR Data Rights and the Marking of Unlimited Rights Data
Contractors Take Note: DoD Issues Two Final Contract Cost and Pricing Rules
On October 28, 2022, the Department of Defense (DoD) amended the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) by issuing two final rules related to contract cost and pricing. Specifically:
- Requiring Data Other Than Certified Cost or Pricing Data – DoD issued a final rule to implement a section of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National
Fastest 5 Minutes: New EO on Climate-Related Risk, Mentor-Protégé JV Size Determination, FedRAMP
This week’s episode covers a new Executive Order on Climate-Related Financial Risk, the final DFARS provision on contract closeout, a new SBA decision involving a mentor-protégé joint venture, and a FedRAMP update, and is hosted by partners Peter Eyre and Olivia Lynch. Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that provides a…