On April 2, 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published Final Rule 83 FR 13817, amending its bid protest regulations to implement the Electronic Protest Docketing System, make administrative and clerical changes, and “streamline the bid protest process.”
This Final Rule goes into effect on May 1, 2018. We detail below some key changes it implements to the protest process.
Continue Reading GAO Implements Changes to Bid Protest Process with New Regulations
When deciding where to file a bid protest, the most fundamental consideration is perhaps the most obvious one: does your desired venue have jurisdiction to hear your arguments?
In a recent decision, Cleveland Assets, LLC v. United States , the Federal Circuit may have changed that analysis for certain Court of Federal Claims (COFC) bid protests.
Continue Reading Did the Federal Circuit Narrow the COFC’s Bid Protest Jurisdiction?
In the face of an actual or potential organizational conflict of interest (OCI), the potential solutions are often limited. There are several options for contractors and the government that are broadly categorized as mitigation, avoidance, neutralization, limitations on future contracting, and exclusion. Although used sparingly, the FAR also provides that the government can “waive” actual or potential OCIs. Specifically, FAR 9.503 states: “The agency head or a designee may waive any general rule or procedure of this subpart by determining that its application in a particular situation would not be in the Government’s interest.”
A recent GAO decision sheds light on how contractors and agencies should think about OCI waivers. CACI, Inc.-Federal; General Dynamics One Source, LLC, B-413860.4, et al., Jan. 5, 2018.
Continue Reading GAO Lets Stand an Agency’s OCI Waivers in Face of a Multi-Prong Challenge
With 2017 firmly in the rear-view, it’s time to take stock of recent and anticipated bid protest developments. Today, we’ll look back and highlight five of the most significant trends in 2017 bid protests. In the near future, we’ll turn our gaze forward and predict the five most important protest developments to keep an eye on in 2018.
Continue Reading Top Five Bid Protest Topics in 2017
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 inaugural episode, hosts Olivia Lynch, Rob Sneckenberg, and Christian Curran cover GAO’s FY2017 bid protest statistics, the RAND Corp.’s comprehensive report
Everyone can agree that professional employees should be compensated fairly and properly—both for the benefit of the employees and to ensure successful contract performance. However, a recent GAO decision could provide a loophole for agencies to forego the very evaluation designed to ensure that fair and proper compensation.
Contractors competing for work involving meaningful numbers of professional employees—and, in particular, incumbents seeking to prevent newcomers from undercutting their established professional compensation—should take note.
This week’s episode covers False Claims Act items, GAO protests, and cybersecurity and is hosted by partners Peter Eyre and David Robbins. 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.
We are still accepting questions for Ask Us Anything! Have questions you’d like answered anonymously? Want our thoughts in general on a particular topic? Send in questions and we’ll do our best to feature them in a future podcast. Email your questions to David at drobbins@crowell.com. Disclaimer: we cannot give legal advice unless and
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 partners Peter Eyre and David Robbins and includes updates on CFIUS, DSS, DFARS safeguarding, and NAICS.
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 Peter Eyre and counsel Olivia Lynch and includes updates on GAO reports on cybersecurity, a