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On April 7, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice in the Federal Register requesting comments on federal procurement guidelines that designate products that are or can be produced with “recovered materials” and set forth recommended practices for purchasing such items. Recovered materials are those waste materials that have been recovered or

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Many companies who work with government agencies are concerned this week as several news outlets have run stories about contract and grant “freezes” at the Environmental Protection Agency and potentially at other agencies.  The new administration has provided few details about the freezes, their objectives, the programs affected, or whether there are more to come.  But, in the case of the EPA, it appears to be a temporary agency-wide suspension of new contract and grant awards.  It remains uncertain whether (or how many) other agencies may follow suit.  While broad-brush freezes might not last long, now is a good time to consider your business and how you can manage through freezes and disruptions of various types that might impact contractors.

Even in the absence of details, there are common-sense steps that potentially affected contractors and awardees can consider to prepare for any freezes, and to protect themselves should a freeze impact their business.  We highlight some of the important steps below, and many will be familiar to contractors impacted by Sequester-era budgets.Continue Reading Contract and Grant Freezes at EPA: What Contractors and Awardees Can Do to Prepare, and to Protect Themselves